Stabilized finite element technique and its application for turbulent flow with high Reynolds number

In this paper, a stabilized large eddy simulation technique is developed to predict turbulent flow with high Reynolds number. Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) stabilized method and three-step technique are both implemented for the finite element formulation of Smagorinsky sub-grid scale (SGS) model. Temporal discretization is performed using three-step technique with viscous term treated implicitly. And the pressure is computed from Poisson equation derived from the incompressible condition. Then two numerical examples of turbulent flow with high Reynolds number are discussed. One is lid driven flow at Re = 105 in a triangular cavity, the other is turbulent flow past a square cylinder at Re = 22000. Results show that the present technique can effectively suppress the instabilities of turbulent flow caused by traditional FEM and well predict the unsteady flow even with coarse mesh.