A quasi-generalized-coordinate approach for numerical simulation of complex flows

Abstract

A novel structured grid approach which provides an efficient way of treating a class of complex geometries is proposed. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are formulated in a two-dimensional, generalized curvilinear coordinate-system complemented by a third quasi-curvilinear coordinate. By keeping all two-dimensional planes defined by constant third coordinate values parallel to one another, the proposed approach significantly reduces the memory requirement in fully three-dimensional geometries, and makes the computation more cost effective. The formulation can be easily adapted to an existing flow solver based on a two-dimensional generalized coordinate system coupled with a Cartesian third direction, with only a small increase in computational cost. The feasibility and efficiency of the present method have been assessed in a simulation of flow over a tapered cylinder.