Numerical simulation of three‐dimensional flow in a cavity

Previous three‐dimensional simulations of the lid‐driven cavity flow have reproduced only the most general features of the flow. Improvements to a finite difference code, REBUFFS, have made possible the first completely successful simulation of the three‐dimensional lid‐driven cavity flow. The principal improvement to the code was the incorporation of a modified QUICK scheme, a higher‐order upwind finite difference formulation. Results for a cavity flow at a Reynolds number of 3200 have reproduced experimentally observed Taylor‐Görtler‐like vortices and other three‐dimensional effects heretofore not simulated. Experimental results obtained from a unique experimental cavity facility validate the calculated results.