Comparison of different turbulence models in a high pressure fuel jet

In this study, modeling of a fuel jet which has been injected by high pressure into a low-pressure tank are investigated. Due to the initial conditions and the geometry of this case and similar cases (like CNG injectors in internal combustion engines (ICE)), the barrel shocks and Mach disk are observed. Hence a turbulence and transient flow will be expected with lots of shocks and waves. According to the increasing usage of this type of injectors in ICE, more studies should be conducted to find the most accurate and beneficial models for modeling this phenomenon. In order to find an accurate and beneficial turbulence model ,in this study, three Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence models (SST k-ω, RNG and standard k ) and large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model were compared by the fuel jet characteristics in three regions (outlet of the nozzle, at Mach disk and at the downstream of the flow). Although the LES model needs more time for each test, the results are more reliable and accurate. On the other hand, RANS turbulence models have lots of errors (more than 10 percent) especially for predicting the characteristics of fuel jet at Mach disk.