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Turbulence Modeling Resource

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Turbulence Modeling Resource

Purpose

The purpose of this site is to provide a central location where Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models are documented. This effort is guided by the Turbulence Model Benchmarking Working Group (TMBWG), a working group of the Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

The objective is to provide a resource for CFD developers to:

This latter capability is made possible through "verification" cases. This site provides simple test cases and grids, along with sample results (including grid convergence studies) from one or more previously-verified codes for some of the turbulence models. Furthermore, by listing various published variants of models, this site establishes naming conventions in order to help avoid confusion when comparing results from different codes.

The site should also help CFD code users to understand and compare the predictions of a variety of models on the fundamental flow problems in the validation database. Note that it is not the intention of this effort to provide validation of turbulence models for a wide range of complex flows for diverse applications. While this would undoubtedly be valuable, it is beyond the scope of what can be supported. Instead, the goal is to provide a set of test cases that illustrate the performance of models for flows that capture fundamental phenomena, in order to establish a consistent basis of comparison as a starting point from which a more thorough validation effort for flows of specific interest to users and developers can be conducted.

The site also serves the turbulence modeling community in other ways. It provides a storehouse of turbulent flow validation databases from various sources, including experiment, DNS, and LES. It includes some information about turbulent manufactured solutions. It provides additional cases and grids specifically for use in workshops focused on turbulence model numerical analysis.

Finally, the site should serve as a forum for model developers to help disseminate new models to the CFD community.

It is anticipated that this site will be updated regularly as new models and/or verification/validation cases are incorporated and tested. If you have any questions or comments, please contact: Chris Rumsey of NASA Langley, Brian Smith of Lockheed-Martin, or George Huang of Wright State University.

If you have any suggestions regarding things that could be added to this website, please email the Page Curator listed at the bottom of the page.


 

NOTES ON HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE
 
 

Turbulence Models

Turbulence+Transition Models

(Guidelines for submitting a new turbulence model description: Guideline-turbmodeldescription.pdf)
 

Implementing Turbulence Models into the Compressible RANS Equations

Notes on running the cases with CFD
 
 
 

Turbulence Model Verification Cases and Grids

Models Currently Applied to Verification Cases:

(click on number in parentheses in this table to go to the particular validation page)


 MRR
 VERIF/2DZP
 VERIF/2DCJ
 VERIF/2DB
 VERIF/2DANW
 VERIF/2DMEA
 VERIF/3DB
SA
 4
 (6)
 (3)
 (8)
 (4)
(3)
SA-neg*
 4



(8)
SA-QCR2000
 3
 (2)
(2)


SA-QCR2013
 2
 (3)
(2)


SA-QCR2013-V
 1

(2)


SA-RC
 3

(3)


SA-neg-RC*
 3



(2)
SA-RC-QCR2000
 3
 (3)
(3)

(2)
SA-RC-QCR2013
 1
 (3)




SSTm
 3

(4)
 (2)

SST-Vm
 3
 (5)
 (3)
 (3)

(3)
SST-2003m
 2

(3)


BSLm
 2
 (2)
(2)


SSG/LRR-RSM-w2012
 3
 (3)
 (3)
 (3)

(3)
Wilcox2006-klim-m
 2
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)

(2)
k-kL-MEAH2015m
 3
 (2)
 (2)
 (3)


*SA-neg results should be essentially identical to SA, and SA-neg-RC results should be essentially identical to SA-RC

(Number of codes included in verification are indicated by the value in parentheses)


 

Additional Turbulence Model Verification Cases and Grids

Used in past AIAA-sponsored workshops (this section formerly titled "Cases and Grids for Turbulence Model Numerical Analysis")

Currently includes only SA or SA-QCR2000 verification cases


 
 

Turbulence Model Validation Cases and Grids


Models Currently Applied to Validation Cases:

(click on number in parentheses in this table to go to the particular validation page)


 MRR
 2DZP*
 2DML*
 2DANW*
 2DN00*
 ASJ*
 AHSJ*
 ANSJ*
 ASBL*
 ATB*
 2DZPH
 2DBFS
 2DN44
 2DCC
 2DWMH
 ASWBLI
 ACSSJ
 AHSSJ
 AJM163TM
 AJM163H
 AJM163OD
 3DSSD
SA
 4
 (2)
 (3)
 (2)
 (7)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (3)
 (2)
 (4)
 (3)
 (2)
 (3)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)


(3)
SA-QCR2000
 3



















(3)
SA-RC
 3


(3)



(2)

(2)
 (3)
 (2)






SSTm
 3
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (3)


(3)
 (2)
(2)
 (2)
 (3)
 (2)





(2)
SST-Vm
 3
 (2)
 (3)
(3)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)

(4)
 (3)


(2)

(3)
 (3)
 (3)
SST-RCm
 2







(2)


(3)







SST-2003m
 2







(2)











BSLm
 2
 (2)






(2)

(1)
(2)






SSG/LRR- RSM-w2012
 3
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (3)


(2)
 (2)


(3)
 (2)





(2)
Wilcox2006-klim-m
 2
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)


(2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)
 (2)







k-kL- MEAH2015m
 3
 (2)
 (2)
 (3)
 (3)



(3)
(3)

(2)






EASMko 2003-S
 1
 (1)
 (1)
 (1)
 (1)


(1)
(1)
 (1)
 (1)
 (1)






(1)
k-e-Rt
 1
 (1)
(1)
 (1)


(1)
(1)
 (1)
 (1)

(1)





k-e-Rt-RC
 1











(1)







GLVY- RSM-2012
 1
 (1)









(1)
 (1)






(1)

(* indicates "Basic Case")

(Number of codes included in validation are indicated by the value in parentheses)


 

Alternative Validation Case Listing by Flow Physics:
Free shear flows
 Wall flows
 P- grad- ients
 Curv- ature
 Compressibility
 Secon- dary flows
 Turb Heat Flux
 Higher Mach
 Vortex flows
 Shock
 Separ- ation


Jet
 Mixing layer
 Wakes
 Law of wall
 Law of wake

Mixing
 Van Driest I
 Van Driest II





Boundary layers
 2DZP*


Y
 Y










2DZPH







Y
 Y
Y
 Y


ASBL*


Y
weak








weak
Mixing layer/ wakes
 2DML*
Y













2DANW*

Y












Jets
 ASJ*
 Y














ANSJ*
 Y





Y



Y


AHSJ*
 Y









Y



ACSSJ
 Y





Y



Y


AHSSJ
 Y





Y


Y
 Y


AJM163TM
 Y





Y


Y
 Y


AJM163H
 Y





Y


Y
 Y


AJM163OD
 Y





Y


Y
 Y
Y
Airfoils
 2DN00*




Y








weak
2DN44




Y








Y
Bump flows
 ATB*




Y





Y
Y
 Y
2DWMH




Y








Y
Shock/boundary layer interaction flows
 ASWBLI




Y




Y
 Y
Y
 Y
Internal flows
 2DCC




Y
 Y








2DBFS




strong








Y
3DSSD




Y



Y
 Y
 Y


(* indicates "Basic Case")
 
 
 

"Classical" Turbulence Model Behavior at Very High Reynolds Number


 
 
 

Transition Model Verification Cases and Grids
under construction UNDER CONSTRUCTION


 
 
 

Turbulent Flow Validation Databases

The data in the following links are publicly available and are provided here as a convenience. They are provided as-is and accuracy is not guaranteed; questions should be directed to the sources of the data provided.


 

Turbulent Manufactured Solutions


 

Related Workshops (in reverse chronological order)


 

Model Readiness Rating System (MRR)
 

Related External Links to Validation Databases and Other Resources

Related External Links to CFD Codes

Recent Significant Site Updates
06/15/2024 - Renamed "Cases and Grids for Turbulence Model Numerical Analysis" and moved closer to Verification Cases
07/26/2021 - Added external link to JAXA DNS Database site
03/24/2021 - clarifications on use of "m" designation when P=mu_t S2 and k term ignored in momentum and energy equations in 2-equation models (throughout site)
11/12/2020 - Added description of SA-AFT 3-eqn turbulence+transition models
08/28/2020 - introduced SST-Vm variant of SST, and changed SST-V naming to SST-Vm on many of the results pages
07/20/2020 - Added SA-BCM transition model description
06/04/2019 - Added NASA Juncture Flow (JF) data

Privacy Act Statement

Accessibility Statement

Responsible NASA Official: Ethan Vogel
Page Curator: Clark Pederson
Last Updated: 06/03/2025