Turbulence Models for Simulation of the Flow in a Rotor-Stator Cavity

Modelling of the flow in the cavities between rotor and stator in turbomachines (e.g. pumps or turbines) is a task of great interest. Correctly evaluated pressure and velocity fields enable calculation of the disk losses and therefore assessment of efficiency. It is also crucial for determination of axial thrust and thus design of the bearings. The study demonstrates abilities of various turbulence models to describe the flow in a narrow gap between rotating and stationary disks. Numerical simulations were performed in order to find out the ability of particular models to capture unstable structures appearing during specific operating conditions as well as to calculate the velocity profiles precisely. Large Eddy Simulation (LES), Scale Adaptive Simulation (SAS), Detached Eddy Simulation (DES), Reynolds stress model (RSM) and SST k - omega model were used. Obtained results were also compared with experimental measurement published by Viazzo et al. [1].