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Effects of boundary condition in numerical simulations of vortex dynamics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2004

D. S. PRADEEP  and
F. HUSSAIN
D. S. PRADEEP
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-4006, USA
F. HUSSAIN
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-4006, USA
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Abstract

We show that the periodic boundary conditions typically applied in numerical simulations of vortex dynamics can lead to significantly incorrect results even when the vortex cores are small compared to the computational domain. This is demonstrated for two previously studied flows which capture significant flow physics: (i) an isolated vortex embedded in fine-scale turbulence; (ii) two antiparallel vortices of unequal strength undergoing reconnection. In case (i), periodicity, when invoked, results in strong, unphysical turbulence growth leading to vortex core transition, whereas the vortex remains totally intact during its interaction with the turbulence when periodicity is not invoked. In case (ii), the vortex interaction, including reconnection, is significantly distorted. These differences are due to the artificial zero circulation constraint, inherent in periodic simulations.

Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 516 , 10 October 2004 , pp. 115 - 124
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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