Application of a Novel High-Order WENO Scheme in LES Simulations

Abstract

To achieve high-fidelity large eddy simulation (LES) predictions of complex flows while keeping computational costs manageable, this study integrates a high-order WENO-ZQ scheme into the LES framework. The WENO-ZQ scheme has been extensively studied for its accuracy, robustness, and computational cost in inviscid flow applications. This study extended the WENO-ZQ scheme to viscous flows by integrating it into a three-dimensional structured grid LES CFD solver. High-fidelity simulations of turbulent boundary layer flow and supersonic compression ramp flows were conducted, with the scheme being applied for the first time to study laminar boundary layer transition and separation flows in the high-load, low-pressure turbine PakB cascade. Classic numerical case validations for viscous conditions demonstrate that the WENO-ZQ scheme, compared to the same-order WENO-JS scheme, exhibits lower dispersion and dissipation errors, faster convergence, and better high-frequency wave resolution. It maintains high-resolution accuracy with fewer grid points. In application cases, the WENO-ZQ scheme accurately captures the three-dimensional flow characteristics of shockwave–boundary layer interactions in supersonic compression ramps and shows high accuracy and resolution in predicting separation and separation-induced transition in low-pressure turbines.

Keywords

• WENO scheme
• LES
• large-scale engineering application
• separation
• transition
• shockwave–turbulent boundary layer interactions