Computations of Flow Field and Heat Transfer in a Stator Vane Passage Using the $v2¯−f$ Turbulence Model

In this study three-dimensional simulations of a stator vane passage flow have been performed using the $v2¯−f$ turbulence model. Both an in-house code (CALC-BFC) and the commercial software FLUENT are used. The main objective is to investigate the $v2¯−f$ model’s ability to predict the secondary fluid motion in the passage and its influence on the heat transfer to the end walls between two stator vanes. Results of two versions of the $v2¯−f$ model are presented and compared to detailed mean flow field, turbulence, and heat transfer measurements. The performance of the $v2¯−f$ model is also compared with other eddy-viscosity-based turbulence models, including a version of the $v2¯−f$ model, available in FLUENT. The importance of preventing unphysical growth of turbulence kinetic energy in stator vane flows, here by use of the realizability constraint, is illustrated. It is also shown that the $v2¯−f$ model predictions of the vane passage flow agree well with experiments and that, among the eddy-viscosity closures investigated, the $v2¯−f$ model, in general, performs the best. Good agreement between the two different implementations of the $v2¯−f$ model (CALC-BFC and FLUENT) was obtained.