A Hybrid Method for Low Reynolds Number Flow Past an Asymmetric Cylindrical Body

Low Reynolds number fluid flow past a cylindrical body of arbitrary shape in an unbounded, two-dimensional domain is a singular perturbation problem involving an infinite logarithmic expansion in the small parameter ε, representing the Reynolds number. We apply a hybrid asymptotic–numerical method to compute the drag coefficient, C _D and lift coefficient C _L to within all logarithmic terms. The hybrid method solution involves a matrix M , depending only on the shape of the body, which we compute using a boundary integral method. We illustrate the hybrid method results on an elliptic object and on a more complicated profile.