Simulations of subsonic vortex-shedding flow past a 2D vertical plate in the near-continuum regime by the parallelized DSMC code

Abstract

A general-purpose Parallel Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Code, named PDSC, is used to simulate near-continuum subsonic flow past a 2D vertical plate for studying the vortex-shedding phenomena. An unsteady time-averaging sampling method and a post-processing procedure called DREAM (DSMC Rapid Ensemble Averaging Method) have also been implemented, reducing the overall computational expense and improving the sampling quality of time-dependent flow problems in the rarefied flow regime. Parametric studies, including the temporal variable time step (TVTS) factor, the number of particles per cell, the domain size, and the Reynolds number, have been conducted, obtaining the Strouhal number and various aerodynamic coefficients of the flow. Results are compared to experimental data in the continuum regime available in the literature, demonstrating the capacity of PDSC and DREAM to simulate near-continuum vortex-shedding problems within acceptable computational time. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.