An embedded-boundary formulation for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows interacting with moving boundaries

A non-boundary-conforming formulation for simulating complex turbulent flows with dynamically moving boundaries on fixed Cartesian grids is proposed. The underlying finite-difference solver for the filtered incompressible Navier–Stokes equations is based on a second-order fractional step method on a staggered grid. To satisfy the boundary conditions on an arbitrary immersed interface, the velocity field at the grid points near the interface is reconstructed using momentum forcing without smearing the sharp interface. The concept of field-extension is also introduced to treat the points emerging from a moving solid body to the fluid. Laminar flow cases and large-eddy simulations (LES) are presented to demonstrate the formal accuracy and range of applicability of the method. In particular, simulations of laminar flow induced by the harmonic in-line oscillation of a circular cylinder in quiescent fluid, and from a transversely oscillating cylinder in a free-stream are presented and compared to reference simulations and experiments. LES of turbulent flow over a traveling wavy wall and transitional flow through a bileaflet prosthetic heart valve are also shown. All results are in very good agreement with reference results in the literature.