ABSTRACT
Near-wall turbulence models have made significant inroads into applied CFD environments in the past decade. A hierarchy has developed for these models, whose common feature is extended validity to regions where the local turbulence Reynolds number is low. Near-wall algebraic eddy viscosity models enjoy persistent popularity today, due to their computational efficiency and (for some applications) ease of implementation, but suffer the limitations of prescribed mixing length models. Transport near-wall closures (two-equation and Reynolds stress) were introduced nearly simultaneously with their more popular high Reynolds number forms in the mid-1970s but remained impractical for 3D flows until the mid-1980s. In the two-equation model class, the last decade has seen a clear transition away from high Reynolds number forms, both in the literature and in industrial application environments. This transition has been engendered by vigorous and ongoing modelling research and significant increases in digital computer capability. Numerous groups have also been actively pursuing near-wall full Reynolds stress modelling since the first published model of this type was put forward in the 1970s.
