Balancing Errors in LES

Errors in LES are easily made and hard to control. We identify the main local sources of error involved in LES. The non-commutation terms arising in complex flows when using nonuniform filter-widths are analysed in some detail. The magnitudes of discretisation and modelling errors arising in a turbulent mixing layer are determined and their interaction is shown to lead to partial cancellation of errors for various spatial discretisation methods.