Turbulence model validation for fire simulation by CFD and experimental investigation of a hot jet in crossflow

The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of the turbulence model choice on the solution of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fire simulations. Therefore, a hot-jet-in-crossflow configuration is considered as a generic test case. This approach avoids the need for heat release modeling of a combustion process and allows to investigate the influence of the turbulence model separately. A custom experimental setup has been built. Temperature and velocity data were acquired both at defined inlet cross-sections and in the downstream region using thermocouples and laser doppler anemometry (LDA). Hence, boundary conditions for CFD simulations are well defined and data for validation are generated. CFD simulations applying different turbulence models are performed on grids with non-resolved and resolved wall boundary layers. The simulations are then compared to the experimental data.