LES-based Study of the Roughness Effects on the Wake of a Circular Cylinder from Subcritical to Transcritical Reynolds Numbers

This paper investigates the effects of surface roughness on the flow past a circular cylinder at subcritical to transcritical Reynolds numbers. Large eddy simulations of the flow for sand grain roughness of size k/D = 0.02 are performed (D is the cylinder diameter). Results show that surface roughness triggers the transition to turbulence in the boundary layer at all Reynolds numbers, thus leading to an early separation caused by the increased momentum deficit, especially at transcritical Reynolds numbers. Even at subcritical Reynolds numbers, boundary layer instabilities are triggered in the roughness sublayer and eventually lead to the transition to turbulence. The early separation at transcritical Reynolds numbers leads to a wake topology similar to that of the subcritical regime, resulting in an increased drag coefficient and lower Strouhal number. Turbulent statistics in the wake are also affected by roughness; the Reynolds stresses are larger due to the increased turbulent kinetic energy production in the boundary layer and separated shear layers close to the cylinder shoulders.     

Two-dimensional unsteady laminar flow of a power law fluid across a square cylinder

The two-dimensional and unsteady free stream flow of power law fluids past a long square cylinder has been investigated numerically in the range of conditions 60≤Re≤160 and 0.5≤n≤2.0. Over this range of Reynolds numbers, the flow is periodic in time. A semi-explicit finite volume method has been used on a non-uniform collocated grid arrangement to solve the governing equations. The global quantities such as drag coefficients, Strouhal number and the detailed kinematic variables like stream function, vorticity and so on, have been obtained for the above range of conditions. While, over this range of Reynolds number, the flow is known to be periodic in time for Newtonian fluids, a pseudo-periodic flow regime displaying more than one dominant frequency in the lift is observed for shear-thinning fluids. This seems to occur at Reynolds numbers of 120 and 140 for n=0.5 and 0.6, respectively. Broadly speaking, the smaller the value of the power law index, lower is the Reynolds number of the onset of the pseudo-periodic regime. This work is concerned only with the fully periodic regime and, therefore, the range of Reynolds numbers studied varies with the value of the power law index. Not withstanding this aspect, in particular here, the effects of Reynolds number and of the power law index have been elucidated in the unsteady laminar flow regime. The leading edge separation in shear-thinning fluids produces an increase in drag values with the increasing Reynolds number, while shear-thickening fluid behaviour delays this separation and shows the lowering of the drag coefficient with the Reynolds number. Also, the preliminary results suggest the transition from the steady to unsteady flow conditions to occur at lower Reynolds numbers in shear-thinning fluids than that in Newtonian fluids.     

Free-stream turbulence effects on vortex-induced vibration of two side-by-side elastic cylinders

The effect of free-stream turbulence on vortex-induced vibration of two side-by-side elastic cylinders in a cross-flow was investigated experimentally. A turbulence generation grid was used to generate turbulent incoming flow with turbulence intensity around 10%. Cylinder displacements in the transverse direction at cylinder mid-span were measured in the reduced velocity range 1.45<U_r0<12.08, corresponding to a range of Reynolds number (Re), based on the mean free-stream velocity and the diameter of the cylinder, between Re=5000–41 000. The focus of the study is on the regime of biased gap flow, where two cylinders with pitch ratio (T/D) varying from 1.17 to 1.90 are considered. Results show that the free-stream turbulence effect is to enhance the vortex-induced force, thus to restore the large-amplitude vibration associated with the lock-in resonance. However, the enhancement is significant at a different Strouhal number (St) for different pitch ratios. When the spacing between two cylinders is relatively small (1.17<T/D<1.50), the enhancement is significant at St≈0.1. When the spacing is increased, the Strouhal number at which the enhancement is significant shifts to St≈0.16. This enlarges the range of reduced velocity to be concerned. An energy analysis showed that free-stream turbulence feeds energy to the cylinder at multiple frequencies of vortex shedding. Therefore, the lock-in region is still of main concern when the approach flow is turbulent.     

Motion of tracer particles in supersonic flows

 Factors that may act on particle motion in high-speed flow are investigated. The classical expressions of drag coefficient C _D for a sphere are reviewed. Then, a drag expression is proposed, extending Cunningham’s method to higher velocities and Knudsen numbers. This law, valid from continuum to free molecule conditions, for Re≲200 and M≲1 (where Re and M are, respectively, the Reynolds and Mach numbers based on relative velocity), is used to compare calculated and experimental values of the drag coefficient, as well as the particle velocities across an oblique shock wave. Calculated results are found to be in agreement with experiments. Received: 3 June 1997/Accepted: 16 August 1998     

Numerical simulation of shear effect on vortex shedding behind a square cylinder

This paper is concerned with the numerical simulation of the flow structure around a square cylinder in a uniform shear flow. The calculations were conducted by solving the unsteady 2D Navier–Stokes equations with a finite difference method. The effect of the shear parameter K of the approaching flow on the vortex-shedding Strouhal number and the force coefficients acting on the square cylinder is investigated in the range K=0·0–0·25 at various Reynolds numbers from 500 to 1500. The computational results are compared with some existing experimental data and previous studies. The effect of shear rate on the Strouhal number and the force acting on the cylinder has a tendency to reduce the oscillation. The Strouhal number, mean drag and amplitude of the fluctuating force tend to decrease as the shear rate increases, but show no significant change at low shear rate. Increasing the Reynolds number decreases the Strouhal number and increases the force acting on the cylinder. At high shear rate the shedding frequencies of the fluctuating drag and lift coefficients are identical. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of riblet bends on pipe flows

Four riblet bends were tested to investigate the effects of riblets on pipe flows including the secondary flow on the Reynolds numbers; Re _D =6×10³–4×10⁴. The pressure gradients on the smooth pipe downstream from the riblet bends were measured, and also the pressure losses of the bends only were measured. All riblet bends reduced the pressure gradient on the smooth pipe downstream from them, which means a drag reduction. Two of the riblet bends showed the maximum drag reduction of about 4 percent at Re _D = 6500; this reduction rate was significant considering the uncertainty of the present experiments. Since the pressure losses of these two riblet bends were almost identical to that of the smooth bend at Re _D = 6500, they could cause a net drag reduction of about 4 percent on the piping system including these bends at that Reynolds number. Furthermore, the velocity profiles measured by LDV indicated that the secondary flow becomes weaker downstream from the riblet bends when a drag reduction is recognized there.Nomenclature D pipe diameter - D ₀ the distance from the valley to the valley passing through the pipe center - H height of groove - P nondimensional static pressure (p/it/(U ₀ ² ):p is gauge pressure) - dP/dX nondimensional pressure gradient - Rc curvature of bend - Re _D Reynolds number based on bulk velocity and pipe diameter - s spacing of groove - U mean streamwise velocity along the horizontal diameter - U ₀ bulk velocity - V mean vertical velocity along the horizontal diameter - x streamwise direction along the pipe axis (see Fig. 1) - X nondimensionalx (=x/D) - y radial direction in the horizontal plane which is perpendicular to the plane including the bend (see Fig. 1) - yUV swirl intensity (nondimensional swirl intensity:yUV/(DU ₀ ² ))     

HYDRODYNAMIC DAMPING OF A CYLINDER AT β≈10

This paper describes delicate, but large-scale, experiments aimed at measuring the hydrodynamic damping of a circular cylinder oscillating in still water and transversely in a current. Attention is concentrated on the regime of very small Keulegan–Carpenter numbers, in which the drag coefficient is inversely proportional to the Keulegan–Carpenter number. Measurements in still water at β=650 000 and 1250 000 point to drag coefficients about twice those appropriate to two-dimensional laminar flow, in common with earlier measurements at β≈10⁵. In the presence of a slowly varying transverse current (generated by placing the cylinder at the node of standing waves of long period), the damping increased with the reduced velocity of the ambient flow at a rate that increased with the Reynolds number.     

A numerical investigation of the flow over a pair of identical square cylinders in a tandem arrangement

This paper describes a numerical study of the two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional unsteady flow over two square cylinders arranged in an in‐line configuration for Reynolds numbers from 40 to 1000 and a gap spacing of 4D, where D is the cross‐sectional dimension of the cylinders. The effect of the cylinder spacing, in the range G = 0.3D to 12D, was also studied for selected Reynolds numbers, that is, Re = 130, 150 and 500. An incompressible finite volume code with a collocated grid arrangement was employed to carry out the flow simulations. Instantaneous and time‐averaged and spanwise‐averaged vorticity, pressure, and streamlines are computed and compared for different Reynolds numbers and gap spacings. The time averaged global quantities such as the Strouhal number, the mean and the RMS values of the drag force, the base suction pressure, the lift force and the pressure coefficient are also calculated and compared with the results of a single cylinder. Three major regimes are distinguished according to the normalized gap spacing between cylinders, that is, the single slender‐body regime (G < 0.5), the reattach regime (G < 4) and co‐shedding or binary vortex regime (G ≥4). Hysteresis with different vortex patterns is observed in a certain range of the gap spacings and also for the onset of the vortex shedding. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of support position and turbulence intensity on the flow near the surface of a sphere

The flow near the surface of a sphere was studied, using a flow visualization technique, for Reynolds numbers from about 4×10⁴ to 2.5×10⁵. It was concluded that the presence of a crossflow support substantially disturbed the flow near the surface of the sphere, especially at supercritical Reynolds numbers. Photographs of the flow patterns around spheres with crossflow supports, and with rear supports, have been presented. Also, measurements were made which show the way in which the turbulence intensity of the free stream influenced the angle of separation at various Reynolds numbers.

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Zusammenfassung Die Strömung nahe der Oberfläche einer Kugel wurde untersucht, indem die Stromlinien sichtbar gemacht wurden. Die Untersuchungen wurden durchgeführt für Reynoldszahlen von etwa 4×10⁴ bis 2,5×10⁵. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, daß die Anwesenheit einer Halterung quer zur Strömung diese in der Nähe der Kugeloberfläche wesentlich störte, besonders bei überkritischen Reynoldszahlen. Photographien des Strömungsverlaufes um die Kugel sowohl mit einer Halterung quer zur Stromrichtung als auch mit einer anderen hinter der Kugel werden gezeigt. Außerdem wurden Messungen durchgeführt, die zeigen, in welcher Weise die Intensität der Turbulenz der freien Strömung den Ablösungswinkel bei verschiedenen Reynoldszahlen beeinflußt.

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Nomenclature C _D drag coefficient (total drag/dynamic head × projected area) - C _Dc critical drag coefficient. IfC _D<D _Dc, the flow pattern is considered subcritical. - h distance (s. Fig. 1) - Nu Nusselt number - R radius of the sphere - Re Reynolds number - Re _c Reynolds number at whichC _D=C _Dc - Tu turbulence intensity component in the direction of the freestream flow - _s average angle from the stagnation point to the separation circle measured in the horizontal plane - _sc critical separation angle. If _s<_sc, the flow pattern is considered subcritical. In this investigation _sc 92°     

A three-dimensional simulation of a steady approach flow past a circular cylinder at low Reynolds number

The three-dimensional (3D) unsteady viscous wake of a circular cylinder exposed to a steady approach flow is calculated using a fractional-step finite-difference/spectral-element method. The calculated flow fields at Reynolds numbers of 100 (2D) and 200 (3D) are examined in detail. The flow field at Re = 100 is 2D as expected, while the flow field at Re = 200 has distinct 3D features, with spanwise wavelengths of about 3.75 cylinder diameters. The calculated results produce drag and lift coefficients and Strouhal numbers that agree extremely well with the experimental values. These 3D values at Re = 200 are in better agreement with experimental values than the results of a 2D calculation at Re = 200, which is expected. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Forced‐convection heat transfer from tandem square cylinders in cross flow at low Reynolds numbers

This paper presents the results of a numerical study on the flow characteristics and heat transfer over two equal square cylinders in a tandem arrangement. Spacing between the cylinders is five widths of the cylinder and the Reynolds number ranges from 1 to 200, Pr=0.71. Both steady and unsteady incompressible laminar flow in the 2D regime are performed with a finite volume code based on the SIMPLEC algorithm and non‐staggered grid. A study of the effects of spatial resolution and blockage on the results is provided. In this study, the instantaneous and mean streamlines, vorticity and isotherm patterns for different Reynolds numbers are presented and discussed. In addition, the global quantities such as pressure and viscous drag coefficients, RMS lift and drag coefficients, recirculation length, Strouhal number and Nusselt number are determined and discussed for various Reynolds numbers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computation of Vortex Shedding and Radiated Sound for a Circular Cylinder: Subcritical to Transcritical Reynolds Numbers

The Lighthill acoustic analogy combined with Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes flow computations are used to investigate the ability of existing technology to predict the tonal noise generated by vortex shedding from a circular cylinder for a range of Reynolds numbers (100 < Re < 5 million). Computed mean drag, mean coefficient of pressure, Strouhal number, and fluctuating lift are compared with experiment. Two-dimensional calculations produce a Reynolds number trend similar to experiment but incorrectly predict many of the flow quantities. Different turbulence models give inconsistent results in the critical Reynolds number range (Re≈ 100000). The computed flow field is used as input for noise prediction. Two-dimensional inputs overpredict both noise amplitude and frequency; however, if an appropriate correlation length is used, predicted noise amplitudes agree with experiment. Noise levels and frequency content agree much better with experiment when three-dimensional flow computations are used as input data. Received 5 May 1998 and accepted 28 September 1998     

Scale-adaptive simulation of flow past wavy cylinders at a subcritical Reynolds number

The Xu & Yan scale-adaptive simulation (XYSAS) model is employed to simulate the flows past wavy cylinders at Reynolds number 8 × 10 3.This approach yields results in good agreement with experimental measurements.The mean flow field and near wake vortex structure are replicated and compared with that of a corresponding circular cylinder.The effects of wavelength ratios λ/D m from 3 to 7,together with the amplitude ratios a /D m of 0.091 and 0.25,are fully investigated.Owing to the wavy configuration,a maximum reduction of Strouhal number and root-meansquare (r.m.s) fluctuating lift coefficients are up to 50% and 92%,respectively,which means the vortex induced vibration (VIV) could be effectively alleviated at certain larger values of λ/D m and a /D m.Also,the drag coefficients can be reduced by 30%.It is found that the flow field presents contrary patterns with the increase of λ/D m.The free shear layer becomes much more stable and rolls up into mature vortex only further downstream when λ/D m falls in the range of 5-7.The amplitude ratio a /D m greatly changes the separation line,and subsequently influences the wake structures.     

Numerical Simulation of the Flow Around an Infinitely Long Circular Cylinder in the Transition Regime

The development of three-dimensional structures and the succeeding transition to turbulence occurs in the wake of a circular cylinder at Reynolds numbers 190≤Re≤330. This regime is investigated numerically by means of a spectral element method. Earlier numerical works aimed mainly at reproducing characteristic wake patterns observed in experiments. Small sizes of computational domains and short integration times were chosen to save computational resources. Consequently, the quantitative results show a considerable scatter. Within this work, a step by step approach to highly accurate direct numerical simulations is described. Thorough studies of the effect of resolution and blockage are performed in the laminar, two-dimensional regime, resulting in Reynolds number relationships that exactly reproduce experimental data. Based on these results, a stability analysis is performed to obtain wavelengths that are unstable against spanwise perturbations and the critical Reynolds number for the onset of three-dimensionality. The most unstable wavelengths of the “mode A” and “mode B” instabilities and its multiples are used as periodicity length for direct numerical simulations. Effects of integration time, resolution in streamwise as well as spanwise directions, and periodicity length on the flow quantities are studied. Numerically obtained Reynolds number relationships of Strouhal number and base-pressure coefficients that fit accurately within measured results are given for the first time. Curves for drag and lift coefficients are provided and compared with previous numerical studies. Furthermore, physical interpretations of the wake transition are discussed. Since the separation of physical features and effects of experimental arrangements are frequently an open question, our numerical results are able to supply a contribution to the understanding of the physics of cylinder flow. Received 12 September 2000 and accepted 26 June 2001     

Turbulent pipe flow of a drag-reducing rigid “rod-like” polymer solution

Fully developed turbulent pipe flow of an aqueous solution of a rigid “rod-like” polymer, scleroglucan, at concentrations of 0.005% (w/w) and 0.01% (w/w) has been investigated experimentally. Fanning friction factors were determined from pressure-drop measurements for the Newtonian solvent (water) and the polymer solutions and so levels of drag reduction for the latter. Mean axial velocity u and complete Reynolds normal stress data, i.e. u′, v′ and w′, were measured by means of a laser Doppler anemometer at three different Reynolds numbers for each fluid. The measurements indicate that the effectiveness of scleroglucan as a drag-reducing agent is only mildly dependent on Reynolds number. The turbulence structure essentially resembles that of flexible polymer solutions which also lead to low levels of drag reduction.     

Dynamic interaction of fixed dual spheres for several configurations and inflow conditions

The changes in force characteristics as well as the shedding patterns for various dual sphere configurations are studied. The Reynolds numbers considered are 300, 600 and two different inflow conditions are used: steady and pulsating. The sphere formations are defined by the separation distance D₀ between the spheres and the angle between the line connecting the centres of the spheres and the main flow direction, γ. The position of one of the spheres is varied in the range 0°–90° using a 15° increment. Two separation distances are studied; 1.5D and 3D. The method used for the simulations is the Volume of Solid (VOS) approach, a method based on Volume of Fluid (VOF). A major conclusion from this work is that the sphere interaction alters the wake dynamics by obstructing the vortex shedding (generating a steady wake or a wake with lower Strouhal number) and by changing the direction of the lift force so that it in most cases is directed in the plane containing the sphere centres. The results also show that changing the inflow condition gives the same relative change in drag and lift as for a single sphere. The drag is substantially reduced by placing the sphere downstream in a tandem arrangement and slightly increased in a side-by-side arrangement. However, the effect is decreased by increasing separation distance and increasing Reynolds number.     

Thermal-hydraulic performance of oval tubes in a cross-flow of air

The thermal-hydraulic performance of five oval tubes is experimentally investigated and compared with that for a circular tube in a cross-flow of air. The range of Reynolds numbers Re_D is approximately between 1,000 and 11,000. The nominal axis ratios R (major axis/minor axis) for three of the investigated oval tubes are 2, 3, and 4. Two other configurations of oval tubes are also tested, an oval tube R=3 with two wires soldered on its upper and lower top positions, and a cut-oval tube. The performance of the tubes is corrected for the effects of area blockage and turbulence intensity. The measurement results show that the mean Nusselt numbers Nu_D for the oval tubes are close to that for the circular tube for Re_D<4,000. For a higher Re_D, the Nu_D for the oval tubes is lower than that for the circular tube and it decreases with the increase in the axis ratio R. The drag coefficients C_d for the tubes are measured and the combined thermal-hydraulic performance is indicated by the ratio Nu_D/C_d, which shows a better combined performance for the oval tubes.     

Anisotropic Organised Eddy Simulation for the prediction of non-equilibrium turbulent flows around bodies

The unsteady turbulent flow around bodies at high Reynolds number is predicted by an anisotropic eddy-viscosity model in the context of the Organised Eddy Simulation (OES). A tensorial eddy-viscosity concept is developed to reinforce turbulent stress anisotropy, that is a crucial characteristic of non-equilibrium turbulence in the near-region. The theoretical aspects of the modelling are investigated by means of a phase-averaged PIV in the flow around a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 1.4×10⁵. A pronounced stress–strain misalignment is quantified in the near-wake region of the detached flow, that is well captured by a tensorial eddy-viscosity concept. This is achieved by modelling the turbulence stress anisotropy tensor by its projection onto the principal matrices of the strain-rate tensor. Additional transport equations for the projection coefficients are derived from a second-order moment closure scheme. The modification of the turbulence length scale yielded by OES is used in the Detached Eddy Simulation hybrid approach. The detached turbulent flows around a NACA0012 airfoil (2-D) and a circular cylinder (3-D) are studied at Reynolds numbers 10⁵ and 1.4×10⁵, respectively. The results compared to experimental ones emphasise the predictive capabilities of the OES approach concerning the flow physics capture for turbulent unsteady flows around bodies at high Reynolds numbers.     

Passive control of wake flow by two small control cylinders at Reynolds number 80

Passive control of the wake behind a circular cylinder in uniform flow is studied by numerical simulation at Re_D=80. Two small control cylinders are placed symmetrically along the separating shear layers at various stream locations. In the present study, the detailed flow mechanisms that lead to a significant reduction in the fluctuating lift but maintain the shedding vortex street are clearly revealed. When the stream locations lie within 0.8≤X_C/D≤3.0, the alternate shedding vortex street remains behind the control cylinders. In this case, the symmetric standing eddies immediately behind the main cylinder and the downstream delay of the shedding vortex street are the two primary mechanisms that lead to a 70–80% reduction of the fluctuating lift on the main cylinder. Furthermore, the total drag of all the cylinders still has a maximum 5% reduction. This benefit is primarily attributed to the significant reduction of the pressure drag on the main cylinder. Within X_C/D>3.0, the symmetry of the standing eddy breaks down and the staggered vortex street is similar to that behind a single cylinder at the same Reynolds number. In the latter case, the mean pressure drag and the fluctuating lift coefficients on the main cylinder will recover to the values of a single cylinder.     

Force coefficients and Strouhal numbers of three circular cylinders subjected to a cross-flow

In this paper, wind tunnel experiments were conducted to measure the mean force coefficients and Strouhal numbers for three circular cylinders of equal diameters in an equilateral-triangular arrangement when subjected to a cross-flow. These experiments were carried out at five subcritical Reynolds numbers ranging from 1.26 × 10⁴ to 6.08 × 10⁴. The pressure distributions on the surface of the cylinders were measured using pressure transducers. Furthermore, the hot-wire anemometer was employed to measure the vortex shedding frequencies behind each cylinder. Six spacing ratios (l/d) varying from 1.5 to 4 were investigated. It is observed that for l/d > 2, the upstream cylinder experiences a lower mean drag coefficient compared with the downstream cylinders. The minimum values of the drag coefficient for the downstream cylinders occur at l/d = 1.5 and l/d = 2, because there is no vortex shedding from the foregoing cylinders. Also, the value of the pressure coefficient behind the upstream cylinder reduces by increasing l/d. Moreover, by decreasing the value of l/d, the Strouhal number for the upstream cylinder increases. It can be concluded that the flow pattern and aerodynamic coefficients are basically dependent on l/d; in other words, decreasing l/d results in an increase in the effects of the flow interference between the cylinders.