A general velocity correction scheme for two-way coupled point-particle simulations

Abstract: The accuracy of Euler-Lagrange point-particle models employed in particle-laden fluid flow simulations depends on accurate estimation of the particle force through closure models. Typical force closure models require computation of the slip velocity at the particle location, which in turn requires accurate estimation of the undisturbed fluid velocity. However, when the fluid and particle phases are two-way coupled the fluid velocity field is disturbed by the presence of the particle. A common practice is to use the disturbed velocity to compute the particle force which can result in errors as much as 100% in predicting the particle dynamics. In this work, a general velocity correction scheme is developed that facilitates accurate estimation of the undisturbed fluid velocity in particle-laden fluid flows with and without no-slip walls. The model can handle particles of different size, arbitrary interpolation functions, anisotropic grids with large aspect ratios, and wall-bounded flows. The present correction scheme is motivated by the recent work of Esmaily & Horwitz (JCP, 2018) on unbounded particle-laden flows. Modifications necessary for wall-bounded flows are developed such that the undisturbed fluid velocity at any wall distance is accurately recovered, asymptotically approaching the unbounded scheme for particles far away from walls. A detailed series of verification tests were conducted on settling velocity of a particle in parallel and perpendicular motions to a no-slip wall. A range of flow parameters and grid configurations; involving anisotropic grids with aspect ratios typically encountered in particle-laden turbulent channel flows, were considered in detail. When the wall effects are accounted for, the present correction scheme reduces the errors in predicting the near-wall particle motion by one order of magnitude smaller values compared to the unbounded correction schemes.