| Abstract: | The bifurcation phenomenon whereby multiple-vortex secondary flow occurs in place of the normal two-vortex flow in laminar flow in curved ducts has previously been studied numerically by several researchers. However, the various results have been conflicting on many points. The present paper describes a set of numerical experiments conducted to study the effect of numerical accuracy on the solution. The results show that the transition from two- to four-vortex structure depends strongly on the differencing scheme and to a lesser extent on the grid size. The study also shows that as the Reynolds number of the flow increases, a two-vortex structure is re-established via a path which involves strongly asymmetric secondary flow patterns. These results are in agreement, at least qualitatively, with recent experimental theoretical and numerical results. |
