Numerical characterization of the von-Kármán swirling flow with a moving Immersed Boundary Method

We conduct simulations of the von-Kármán flow at various Reynolds numbers. The flow is driven by blades mounted on counter-rotating top and bottom disks in a cylindrical enclosure. The configuration results in highly anisotropic turbulence with persistent large-scale coherent structures. The simulation strategy relies on a low mach flow solver coupled with a moving immersed boundary method. We vary the Reynolds number from 55 to 4000 by increasing the rotation rate of the disks. In the laminar regime, the flow exhibits an axisymmetric steady state. As we increase the Reynolds number, the flow symmetries break down and an anisotropic turbulent flow eventually establishes.