Smooth-Wall Boundary Conditions for Energy-Dissipation Turbulence Models#

Abstract

It is shown that the smooth-wall boundary conditions specified for commonly used dissipation-based turbulence models are mathematically incorrect. It is demonstrated that when these traditional wall boundary conditions are used, the resulting formulations allow either an infinite number of solutions or no solution. Furthermore, these solutions do not enforce energy conservation and they do not properly enforce the no-slip condition at a smooth surface. This is true for all dissipation-based turbulence models, including the k-{\epsilon}, k-{\omega}, and k-{\zeta} models. Physically correct wall boundary conditions must force both k and its gradient to zero at a smooth wall. Enforcing these two boundary conditions on k is sufficient to determine a unique solution to the coupled system of differential transport equations. There is no need to impose any wall boundary condition on {\epsilon}, {\omega}, or {\zeta} at a smooth surface and it is incorrect to do so. The behavior of {\epsilon}, {\omega}, or {\zeta} approaching a smooth surface is that required to satisfy the differential equations and force both k and its gradient to zero at the wall.