Experiments and Large-Eddy Simulations of acoustically forced bluff-body flows

The isothermal air flow behind an enclosed axisymmetric bluff body, with the incoming flow being forced by a loudspeaker at a single frequency and with large amplitude, has been explored with high data-rate Laser-Doppler Anemometry measurements and Large-Eddy Simulations. The comparison between experiment and simulations allows a quantification of the accuracy of LES for turbulent flows with periodicity and the results provide insights into the structure of flows relevant to combustors undergoing self-excited oscillations. At low forcing frequencies, the whole flow pulsates with the incoming flow, although at a phase lag that depends on spatial location. At high forcing frequencies, vortices are shed from the bluff body and the recirculation zone, as a whole, pulsates less. Despite the fact that the incoming flow has an oscillation that is virtually monochromatic, the velocity spectra show peaks at various harmonics, whose relative magnitudes vary with location. A sub-harmonic peak is also observed inside the recirculation zone possibly caused by merging of the shed vortices. The phase-averaged turbulent fluctuations show large temporal and spatial variations. The LES reproduces reasonably accurately the experimental findings in terms of phase-averaged mean and r.m.s. velocities, vortex formation, and spectral peaks.