Structure and energetics of a turbulent trailing edge flow

Results from a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent flow over a rectangular trailing edge geometry are used to study energy transfers in detail. The numerical procedure employs a separate boundary layer simulation which is used to generate inflow turbulence and provide the inflow boundary condition data for the trailing edge flow simulation. The calculations are performed at a Reynolds number of 1000 based on the trailing edge thickness and free stream velocity. Characteristics of the vortex shedding are identified from instantaneous flow visualizations, two-point time correlations, and spectra. Turbulence kinetic energy production is found to be negative in the region behind the trailing edge, in agreement with simple analysis. The topology of the turbulence kinetic energy flux field is studied in conjunction with the production and dissipation, revealing pathways by which turbulence energy is transported from zones of creation to zones of destruction.