Comparison of the Effects of k-ε, k-ω, and Zero Equation Models on Characterization of Turbulent Permeability of Porous Media

In this study, different turbulent models were used (k - ε, k - ω, and zero equation models) to characterize the permeability of turbulent water flows (hydraulic conductivity) in an artificial crack. The results were compared to a “universal” equation of flow in porous media based on empirical fit (Barr’s model) of a simple general check. The results showed that while the simulations did not match the empirical model, they follow the same trends. The values of the empirical constants in Barr’s model can be modified to match that of the simulation results. The results then were compared against the simulation results and were found to be mildly sensitive to the type of turbulent model used. In this problem, k - ω was considered to be most suitable model, due to limitations of the other models. The discrepancies between the k - ε, k - ω and zero equation models were small, less than 5%. These discrepancies may be due to the nature of the scenario of interest and simplifications that were applied to it.