Numerical investigation on the performance of low-Reynolds number k-∊k-∊ model for a buoyancy-opposed wall jet flow

• The negatively buoyant wall jet flow in a rectangular channel subjected to a slowly moving counter-current stream has been declared as an application challenge.
• Computations have been carried out using low-Reynolds number (LRN) turbulence model.
• The viscous sublayer region is resolved using the wall integration approach.
• Using the LRN model, a very good agreement with the experimental results has been obtained for this complex flow situation.

The negatively buoyant wall jet flow in a rectangular channel subjected to a slowly moving counter-current stream has been declared as an application challenge. Numerical simulation has remained elusive for last one decade since the two moderately successful papers of Addad et al. (2004) and Craft et al. (2004). The present investigation reports the successful reproduction of the experimental results of He et al. (2002) for the non-buoyant as well as the buoyant cases. The computations have been carried out using low-Reynolds number turbulence model proposed by Yang and Shih (YS). The performance assessment of YS model has been done by comparing the computational results with the experimental results of He et al. Based on the comparison, it has been observed that YS model shows a very good agreement with the experimental results for this complex flow situation.