A novel buoyancy-modified subgrid-scale model for large-eddy simulation of turbulent convection

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop a subgrid-scale (SGS) model for large eddy simulation (LES) of buoyancy- and thermally driven transitional and turbulent flows and further examine its performance. Design/methodology/approach - Favre-filtered, non-dimensional LES equations are solved using non-dissipative, fully implicit, kinetic energy conserving, finite-volume algorithm which uses an iterative predictor-corrector approach based on pressure correction. Also, to develop a new SGS model which accounts for buoyancy, turbulent generation term in SGS viscosity is properly modified and enhanced by buoyancy production. Findings - The proposed model has been successfully applied to turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection. The results show that the model is able to reproduce the complex physics of turbulent thermal convection. In comparison with the original wall-adapting local eddy-viscosity (WALE) and buoyancy-modified (BM) Smagorinsky models, turbulent diagnostics predicted by the new model are in better agreement with direct numerical simulation. Originality/value - A BM variant of the WALE SGS model is newly developed and analyzed.