Large eddy simulation of cross-flow through a staggered tube bundle at subcritical Reynolds number

The Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique is used to study the vortex shedding characteristics inside a staggered tube array consisting of six rows with intermediate spacings (S_L/D×S_T/D=1.6×3.6) at the subcritical Reynolds number of 8600 (based on the gap velocity). The filtered equations are discretised using the finite volume method in an unstructured, collocated grid arrangement with second-order accurate methods in space and time. The predictions of mean velocities and Reynolds stresses are in very good agreement with detailed LDA measurements performed in 17 stations along the depth of the array. The sizes of the recirculation zones behind the cylinders in the first and third row also compare favourably with available correlations. Two distinct and independent shedding frequencies are detected behind the first two rows, but the high-frequency component vanishes in the downstream rows. The corresponding Strouhal numbers agree well with measurements available in the literature for similar tube spacings. The lift coefficient as well as instantaneous flow patterns of the whole array are also examined.