Numerical investigation of a space-fractional model of turbulent fluid flow in rectangular ducts

Models containing fractional derivatives are among the most promising new approaches for description of turbulent flows. In the present work, a steady-state flow in a duct is considered under the condition that the turbulent diffusion is governed by a fractional power of the Laplace operator. To study numerically flows in rectangular channels, finite-difference approximations are employed. The resulting discrete problem is solved by a preconditioned conjugate gradient method. At each iteration, the problem with a fractional power of the grid Laplace operator is solved. Predictions of turbulent flows in ducts at different Reynolds numbers are presented via mean velocity fields.