A compressible Reynolds-averaged mixing model considering turbulent entropy and heat flux

In typical nature and engineering scenarios, such as supernova explosion and inertial confinement fusion, mixing flows induced by hydrodynamics interfacial instabilities are essentially compressible. Despite their significance, accurate predictive tools for these compressible flows remain scarce. For engineering applications, the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulation stands out as the most practical approach due to its outstanding computational efficiency. However, the majority of RANS mixing studies reported have concentrated on incompressible scenarios, with quite limited attention given to compressible cases. Moreover, most of the existing RANS mixing models demonstrate significantly inaccurate predictions for compressible mixing flow. This study develops a novel compressible RANS mixing model by incorporating physical compressibility corrections into the incompressible K-L-y mixing transition model recently proposed by Xie et al. (J. Fluid Mech., 1002, A31, 2025). Specifically, taking the density-stratified Rayleigh-Taylor mixing flows as representative compressible cases, we firstly analyze the limitations of the existing model for compressible flows, based on high-fidelity data and local instability criteria. Subsequently, the equation of state for a perfect gas and the thermodynamic Gibbs relation are employed to derive comprehensive compressibility corrections. The crucial turbulent entropy and heat flux are integrated into the closure of the key turbulent mass flux term of the turbulent kinetic energy equation. These corrections enable the model to accurately depict compressible mixing flows. Systematic validations confirm the efficacy of the proposed modeling scheme. This study offers a promising strategy for modeling compressible mixing flows, paving the way for more accurate predictions in complex scenarios.