UC Davis

Viscous flow is a crucial part of Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations, where the viscous drag is significant and separation might occur, in particular, in regions of adverse pressure gradient. Predicting the separation bubbles with computer simulation can lead to deeper understanding of the flow structure and assist relevant designs. To narrow the scope, this thesis targets the 2D Steady viscous laminar flow. Benchmark problems in both separated and attached flow are simulated for validation purposes. Stream function and vorticity formulation of both Navier-Stokes equations and Boundary-Layer equations are used to enforce conservation of mass and momentum equations. A formulation of parabolized Navier-Stokes equations is also investigated as the intermediate step. For separated flows, FLARE approximation may provide a less accurate but inexpensive solution (where the convective term is cancelled for negative velocity, hence, a marching procedure can be used).