Correlation for Transitional Reynolds Number and Assessment of RANS for Bypass Transition.

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Title: Correlation for Transitional Reynolds Number and Assessment of RANS for Bypass Transition.
Authors: Gonzalez, Carlos A.1 cagonzal@stanford.edu, Agrawal, Rahul1, Wu, Xiaohua2
Source: Journal of Fluids Engineering. Apr2026, Vol. 148 Issue 4, p1-7. 7p.
Subjects: Transition flow, Model validation, Friction, Statistical correlation, Computational fluid dynamics, Flow simulations, Turbulence, Boundary layer (Aerodynamics)
Abstract: Direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of bypass transition are performed for zero-pressure-gradient flat-plate boundary layers with inlet freestream turbulence intensity (FSTI) ranging from 0.75% to 6%. The DNS database exhibits excellent agreement with the Blasius solution in the laminar region, with deviation occurring only near transition onset, providing improved fidelity compared to previous computational studies. A novel skin-friction-based intermittency definition is proposed and validated against conventional temporal intermittency measurements, demonstrating equivalent transition prediction capability without requiring time-resolved data. Using this definition, a new transition Reynolds number correlation is developed that incorporates the effects of FSTI, turbulent length scales, and intermittency threshold. The correlation reduces to the classical Abu-Ghannam and Shaw formulation at zero intermittency and achieves 16.2% average error when validated against independent experimental data from Fransson and Shahinfar (2020). Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations using the shear-stress transport (SST) and transition models reveal significant sensitivity to inlet length scale specification, with integral length scale predictions deviating from DNS in both pretransitional and transitional regions. The transported intermittency in RANS shows wall-normal-dependent transition onset that differs from the skin-friction-based definition. This comprehensive DNS database and associated correlations provide improved benchmarks for transition model development and validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Fluids Engineering is the property of American Society of Mechanical Engineers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Correlation for Transitional Reynolds Number and Assessment of RANS for Bypass Transition.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Fluids+Engineering%22">Journal of Fluids Engineering</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 148 Issue 4, p1-7. 7p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Transition+flow%22">Transition flow</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Model+validation%22">Model validation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Friction%22">Friction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+correlation%22">Statistical correlation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computational+fluid+dynamics%22">Computational fluid dynamics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Flow+simulations%22">Flow simulations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Turbulence%22">Turbulence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Boundary+layer+%28Aerodynamics%29%22">Boundary layer (Aerodynamics)</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of bypass transition are performed for zero-pressure-gradient flat-plate boundary layers with inlet freestream turbulence intensity (FSTI) ranging from 0.75% to 6%. The DNS database exhibits excellent agreement with the Blasius solution in the laminar region, with deviation occurring only near transition onset, providing improved fidelity compared to previous computational studies. A novel skin-friction-based intermittency definition is proposed and validated against conventional temporal intermittency measurements, demonstrating equivalent transition prediction capability without requiring time-resolved data. Using this definition, a new transition Reynolds number correlation is developed that incorporates the effects of FSTI, turbulent length scales, and intermittency threshold. The correlation reduces to the classical Abu-Ghannam and Shaw formulation at zero intermittency and achieves 16.2% average error when validated against independent experimental data from Fransson and Shahinfar (2020). Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations using the shear-stress transport (SST) and transition models reveal significant sensitivity to inlet length scale specification, with integral length scale predictions deviating from DNS in both pretransitional and transitional regions. The transported intermittency in RANS shows wall-normal-dependent transition onset that differs from the skin-friction-based definition. This comprehensive DNS database and associated correlations provide improved benchmarks for transition model development and validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Fluids Engineering is the property of American Society of Mechanical Engineers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1115/1.4070700
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 7
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Transition flow
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Model validation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Friction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical correlation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Computational fluid dynamics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Flow simulations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Turbulence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Boundary layer (Aerodynamics)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Correlation for Transitional Reynolds Number and Assessment of RANS for Bypass Transition.
        Type: main
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          Name:
            NameFull: Gonzalez, Carlos A.
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            NameFull: Agrawal, Rahul
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            NameFull: Wu, Xiaohua
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            – D: 01
              M: 04
              Text: Apr2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 148
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