Calibration of a Computational Fluid Dynamics Methodology for the Simulation of Roughness Effects on Friction and Heat Transfer in Additive Manufactured Components

Abstract

It is well known from the literature that surface roughness significantly affects friction and heat transfer. This is even more evident for additive manufactured (AM) components, which are taking an increasingly important role in the gas turbine field. However, the exploitation of numerical approaches to improve their design is hindered by the lack of dedicated correlations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models developed for such high roughness conditions. Usually, the AM components are simulated considering the surfaces as smooth or applying an equivalent sand-grain roughness (ks) that results in a velocity shift in the boundary layer. However, determining a priori the most appropriate value of ks is challenging, as dozens of correlations are available, returning scattered and uncertain results. A previous work proved how the CFD prediction of friction and heat transfer returns significant deviations, even exploiting the ks values obtained from experimental tests on the very same test case. That work also allowed identification of a promising CFD methodology based on friction and thermal corrections proposed by Aupoix from ONERA. The aim of this work is to further the assessment and calibration activity of the model, by analyzing additional experimental data of friction factor and Nusselt number from new test cases considering different geometries and flow conditions. The new coupons consisted of straight circular channels and wavy channels. This work represents a further step in the generation of a more validated and general methodology for the high-fidelity CFD analysis of AM components.