Wall-layer models for large-eddy simulations

The numerical simulation of high Reynolds number flows is hampered by model accuracy if the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations are used, and by computational cost if direct or large-eddy simulations (LES) that resolve the near-wall layer are employed. The cost of a calculation scales like the Reynolds number to the power 3 for direct numerical simulations, or 2.4 for LES, making the resolution of the wall layer at high Reynolds number infeasible even with the most advanced computers. In LES, an attractive alternative to compute high-Re flows is the use of wall-layer models, in which only the outer layer is resolved, while the near-wall region is modeled. Three broad classes of approaches are presently used: bypassing this region altogether using wall functions, solving a separate set of equations in the near-wall region, weakly coupled to the outer flow, or simulating the near-wall region in a global, Reynolds-averaged, sense. These approaches are discussed and their ranges of applicability are highlighted. Various unresolved issues in wall-layer modeling are presented.