Turbulence analysis of rough wall channel flows based on direct numerical simulation

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of rough wall channel flows was performed for various surface roughnesses. The goal of the presented research is to investigate the effect of nucleating bubbles in subcooled boiling conditions on the turbulence. The nucleating bubbles are represented by hemispherical roughness elements at the wall. The stabilized finite element based code, PHASTA, is used to perform the simulations. Validation against theoretical, experimental and numerical data is performed for smooth channel flow and rectangular rod type of roughness. The presence of roughness elements affects the flow structure within the roughness sublayer, which is estimated to be 5 times the height of roughness elements. DNS observations are consistent with this result and demonstrate the flow homogeneity above 50 viscous units. The influence of roughness elements layout and density on the turbulence parameters is also demonstrated and analyzed. (authors)