Effects of the Domain Zonal Decomposition on the Hybrid URANS/LES Modeling of the TCC-III Motored Engine Flow

Hybrid URANS/LES turbulence modeling is rapidly emerging as a valuable complement to standard LES for full-engine multi-cycle simulation. Among the available approaches, zonal hybrids are potentially attractive due to the possibility of clearly identify URANS and LES zones, eventually introducing further zone types with dynamically switching behavior. The present work aims at evaluating the impact of different zonal configurations on the simulated flow statistics using the well-assessed TCC-III experimental engine setup. More specifically, different methods (URANS, LES or seamless DES) are applied inside the cylinder volume, as well as into the intake/exhaust ports and plenums. For each of the five tested configurations, in-cylinder flow features are compared against the reference TCC-III experimental measurements, in terms of velocity field statistics and quality indices. In addition, a detailed analysis using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) is carried out to quantitatively compare the results from experiments and simulation sets. The study outcomes are used as a starting point for discussing the applicability of zonal hybrid turbulence modeling to realistic engine geometries, critically analyze the model assumptions (e.g. the domain zonal decomposition) and provide guidelines for general application of such method.