Application of a Transition Model in NavyFOAM

The correlation-based transition γ-〖Re〗_θt SST model has been implemented in NavyFOAM – the U.S. Navy's in-house CFD package developed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), with the support of the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) under the CREATE Ships Hydrodynamics Program. This particular implementation of the transition model has been validated against experimental data of laminar-turbulent transition in several benchmark test problems, such as flows over a flat-plate and a 2-D airfoil. The transition model has also been applied in predicting the transition onset locations over a 3-D axisymmetric forebody configuration and a 6-to-1 prolate spheroid. Good agreement between predicted transition onset locations and measured data is found in all validation and application cases. The limitation of the model in predicting turbulent separation at large angles of attack is also discussed.