Prediction of laminar and turbulent primary and secondary flows in strongly curved ducts

The analysis is based on a primary secondary velocity decomposition in a given coordinate system, and leads to approximate governing equations which correct an a priori inviscid solution for viscous effects, secondary flows, total pressure distortion, heat transfer, and internal flow blockage and losses. Solution of the correction equations is accomplished as an initial value problem in space using an implicit forward marching technique. The overall solution procedure requires significantly less computational effort than Navier-Stokes algorithms. The solution procedure is effective even with the extreme local mesh resolution which is necessary to solve near wall sublayer regions in turbulent flow calculations. Computed solutions for both laminar and turbulent flow compared very favorably with available analytical and experimental results. The overall method appears very promising as an economical procedure for making detailed predictions of viscous primary and secondary flows in highly curved passages.