Critical evaluation of two-equation models for near-wall turbulence

A variety of two-equation turbulence models - including several versions of the K- epsilon model as well as the K- omega model - are analyzed critically for near wall turbulent flows from a theoretical and computational standpoint. It is shown that the K- epsilon model has two major problems associated with it: the lack of natural boundary conditions for the dissipation rate and the appearance of higher-order correlations in the balance of terms for the dissipation rate at the wall. It is demonstrated that this new model yields improved predictions for turbulent boundary layers.