scholarly journals Numerical Investigation of Fluid Flow past Four Cylinders at Low Reynolds Numbers

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Shafee Ahmad ◽  
Shams Ul-Islam

A numerical investigation on the effects of separation ratios and Reynolds numbers on the flow around four square cylinders in diamond arrangement has been carried out using the lattice Boltzmann method. The separation ratios between the cylinders vary from g ∗ = 1 to 15. The Reynolds numbers based on the diameter of the square cylinder and the inlet uniform inflow velocity are selected from Re = 80 to 160. The computations show that a total of five different flow regimes are observed over the selected ranges: single bluff-body, quasi-unsteady, chaotic flow, in-phase synchronized vortex shedding, and antiphase synchronized vortex shedding flow regimes. It is found that the flow features significantly depend on both the separation ratio and Reynolds number, with the former’s influence being more than the latter’s. We found that the critical spacing for four square cylinders in diamond arrangement for selected Reynolds numbers (80 ≤ Re ≤ 160) is in the range of 2 ≤  g ∗  ≤ 5. The results reveal that the presence of secondary cylinder interaction frequencies indicates that, for chaotic flow regime, the wake pattern is not stable and there is a strong interaction of gap flows and continuous change in the direction of shed vortices behind the cylinders. The effects of the g ∗ and Re on fluid forces, vortex shedding frequency, and flow separation have been examined in detail.

1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Arnal ◽  
D. J. Goering ◽  
J. A. C. Humphrey

The characteristics of the flow around a bluff body of square cross-section in contact with a solid-wall boundary are investigated numerically using a finite difference procedure. Previous studies (Taneda, 1965; Kamemoto et al., 1984) have shown qualitatively the strong influence of solid-wall boundaries on the vortex-shedding process and the formation of the vortex street downstream. In the present study three cases are investigated which correspond to flow past a square rib in a freestream, flow past a rib on a fixed wall and flow past a rib on a sliding wall. Values of the Reynolds number studied ranged from 100 to 2000, where the Reynolds number is based on the rib height, H, and bulk stream velocity, Ub. Comparisons between the sliding-wall and fixed-wall cases show that the sliding wall has a significant destabilizing effect on the recirculation region behind the rib. Results show the onset of unsteadiness at a lower Reynolds number for the sliding-wall case (50 ≤ Recrit ≤100) than for the fixed-wall case (Recrit≥100). A careful examination of the vortex-shedding process reveals similarities between the sliding-wall case and both the freestream and fixed-wall cases. At moderate Reynolds numbers (Re≥250) the sliding-wall results show that the rib periodically sheds vortices of alternating circulation in much the same manner as the rib in a freestream; as in, for example, Davis and Moore [1982]. The vortices are distributed asymmetrically downstream of the rib and are not of equal strength as in the freestream case. However, the sliding-wall case shows no tendency to develop cycle-to-cycle variations at higher Reynolds numbers, as observed in the freestream and fixed-wall cases. Thus, while the moving wall causes the flow past the rib to become unsteady at a lower Reynolds number than in the fixed-wall case, it also acts to stabilize or “lock-in” the vortex-shedding frequency. This is attributed to the additional source of positive vorticity immediately downstream of the rib on the sliding wall.


AIP Advances ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 015142
Author(s):  
Yuhang Zhang ◽  
Rui Wang ◽  
Yaoran Chen ◽  
Yan Bao ◽  
Zhaolong Han ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 877 ◽  
pp. 955-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengjiao Ren ◽  
Liang Cheng ◽  
Feifei Tong ◽  
Chengwang Xiong ◽  
Tingguo Chen

Oscillatory flow around a cluster of four circular cylinders in a diamond arrangement is investigated using two-dimensional direct numerical simulation over Keulegan–Carpenter numbers (KC) ranging from 4 to 12 and Reynolds numbers (Re) from 40 to 230 at four gap-to-diameter ratios (G) of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4. Three types of flows, namely synchronous, quasi-periodic and desynchronized flows (along with 14 flow regimes) are mapped out in the (G, KC, Re)-parameter space. The observed flow characteristics around four cylinders in a diamond arrangement show a few unique features that are absent in the flow around four cylinders in a square arrangement reported by Tong et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 769, 2015, pp. 298–336). These include (i) the dominance of flow around the cluster-scale structure at $G=0.5$ and 1, (ii) a substantial reduction of regime D flows in the regime maps, (iii) new quasi-periodic (phase trapping) $\text{D}^{\prime }$ (at $G=0.5$ and 1) and period-doubling $\text{A}^{\prime }$ flows (at $G=1$) and most noteworthily (iv) abnormal behaviours at ($G\leqslant 2$) (referred to as holes hereafter) such as the appearance of spatio-temporal synchronized flows in an area surrounded by a single type of synchronized flow in the regime map ($G=0.5$). The mode competition between the cluster-scale and cylinder-scale flows is identified as the key flow mechanism responsible for those unique flow features, with the support of evidence derived from quantitative analysis. Phase dynamics is introduced for the first time in bluff-body flows, to the best knowledge of the authors, to quantitatively interpret the flow response (e.g. quasi-periodic flow features) around the cluster. It is instrumental in revealing the nature of regime $\text{D}^{\prime }$ flows where the cluster-scale flow features are largely synchronized with the forcing of incoming oscillatory flow (phase trapping) but are modulated by localized flow features.


Author(s):  
Chih-Hua Wu ◽  
Shengwei Ma ◽  
Chang-Wei Kang ◽  
Teck-Bin Arthur Lim ◽  
Rajeev Kumar Jaiman ◽  
...  

Bluff body structures exposed to ocean current can undergo vortex-induced motion (VIM) for certain geometric and physical conditions. Recently, the study of VIM has been gaining attention for many engineering applications, in particular offshore structures such as buoys, FPSOs, semi-submersibles, Spars and TLPs. The present work is a part of a systematic effort to investigate the VIM response of multi-columns floating platform. In real sea condition, floating platforms are in high Reynolds numbers region and flow patterns around structures are turbulent in nature. For the purpose of investigating and simulating accurately the nonlinear dynamic processes of vortex shedding, transport and wake interactions with the bluff body, the fundamental study of VIM around a square column at moderate Reynolds numbers (1500 ≤ Re ≤ 14000) is firstly investigated. In the present work, the transient flow pattern around a free vibrating square cylinder at moderate Reynolds numbers is numerically investigated by an open source CFD toolbox, OpenFOAM. Good consistency and agreement are found between the present numerical findings and that of experiments. The cylinder, with a blockage area of 4.2%, is mounted on an elastic support for free vibration in the transverse direction. Hybrid RANS-LES turbulence models are considered here for accurate prediction of massively separated turbulent wake flow while maintaining the reasonable computational cost. Three hybrid turbulence models, the DDES (Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation, the k-ω SST-DES (Detached Eddy Simulation), and the k–ω SST-SAS (Scale Adaptive Simulation), are studied and their results are compared with the reported experimental measurements. It is shown that the result of simulation with the k–ω SST-SAS model is closer to the reported literature than the other two and therefore, subsequently adopted for all the simulations of our study in this paper. The scaling effect of cylinder length in the spanwise direction is also studied with the objective to reduce the computational cost. From the comparison with the recent experimental measurements, the discrepancy between the present simulations of reducing cylinder length and the experiment increases only when Re ≥ 4000. This might stem from the increase in wavelength of some vortex shedding modes and turbulence intensity variation in the spanwise direction near the cylinder as Re ≥ 4000. The detailed flow patterns, 3D vortex structures (based on Q-criterion) and vortex-shedding modes are presented in this work as well.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1683-1694 ◽  
Author(s):  
YONG RAO ◽  
YUSHAN NI ◽  
CHAOFENG LIU

The flow around two square cylinders arranged side by side has been investigated through lattice Boltzmann method under different Reynolds numbers and various space ratios (s = d/D, d is the separation distance between two cylinders, D is the characteristic length) from 1.0, 1.1 to 2.7, including 18 space ratios. It is found that the flip-flop regime occurs at small space ratios and the synchronized regime occurs at large space ratios. Wide and narrow wakes at small spacing are formed and intermittently change behind the cylinders, and the biased flow in the gap is bistable. The frequency of vortex shedding is different in two wakes. The upper frequency is smaller than the lower frequency for small space ratios (s < 1.4), and the time-averaged drag and lift coefficients of cylinders are also different. When the space ratios increase, two distinct vortex streets occur behind the cylinders, and the frequency of vortex shedding is almost equal in two wakes. Also the difference of time-averaged drag and lift coefficients of the cylinders decreases with the increase in space ratios; in this case the flow shows synchronized regime. The transition between flip-flop and synchronized regimes occurs at s = 1.5. When s < 1.5, the flow shows flip-flop regime; otherwise, it shows synchronized regime. When s = 2.0 and 2.5, the curves for the time-averaged drag and lift coefficient with different Reynolds numbers are smooth. When s = 1.5 and 1.8, the curves are also smooth under Re ≤ 140, but that will be fluctuant under Re > 140 because of the nonlinear interaction between the wakes, and the instability of flow becomes stronger with the increase in Reynolds numbers. On the other hand, the vortex shedding type from the cylinder occurs in-phase when s < 2.5 and s = 2.5 for Re < 190, whereas that occurs anti-phase when s = 2.5 for Re ≥190. In addition, the pressure varies a little on the left surfaces and greatly on the right surfaces of both cylinders with the increase in Reynolds number at s = 2.5.


2014 ◽  
Vol 751 ◽  
pp. 1-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Zhao ◽  
Liang Cheng

AbstractOscillatory flow past two circular cylinders in side-by-side and tandem arrangements at low Reynolds numbers is simulated numerically by solving the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes (NS) equations using a finite-element method (FEM). The aim of this study is to identify the flow regimes of the two-cylinder system at different gap arrangements and Keulegan–Carpenter numbers (KC). Simulations are conducted at seven gap ratios $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}G$ ($G=L/D$ where $L$ is the cylinder-to-cylinder gap and $D$ the diameter of a cylinder) of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and KC ranging from 1 to 12 with an interval of 0.25. The flow regimes that have been identified for oscillatory flow around a single cylinder are also observed in the two-cylinder system but with different flow patterns due to the interactions between the two cylinders. In the side-by-side arrangement, the vortex shedding from the gap between the two cylinders dominates when the gap ratio is small, resulting in the gap vortex shedding (GVS) regime, which is different from any of the flow regimes identified for a single cylinder. For intermediate gap ratios of 1.5 and 2 in the side-by-side arrangement, the vortex shedding mode from one side of each cylinder is not necessarily the same as that from the other side, forming a so-called combined flow regime. When the gap ratio between the two cylinders is sufficiently large, the vortex shedding from each cylinder is similar to that of a single cylinder. In the tandem arrangement, when the gap between the two cylinders is very small, the flow regimes are similar to that of a single cylinder. For large gap ratios in the tandem arrangement, the vortex shedding flows from the gap side of the two cylinders interact and those from the outer sides of the cylinders are less affected by the existence of the other cylinder and similar to that of a single cylinder. Strong interaction between the vortex shedding flows from the two cylinders makes the flow very irregular at large KC values for both side-by-side and tandem arrangements.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (6 Part A) ◽  
pp. 2553-2563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yidan Song ◽  
Rui Zhu ◽  
Terrence Simon ◽  
Gongnan Xie

The flow over four square cylinders in an in-line, square arrangement was numerically investigated by using the finite volume method with CFD techniques. The working fluid is an incompressible ideal gas. The length of the sides of the array, L, is equal. The analysis is carried out for a Reynolds number of 300, with center-to-center distance ratios, L/D, ranging from 1.5 to 8.0. To fully understand the flow mechanism, details in terms of lift and drag coefficients and Strouhal numbers of the unsteady wake frequencies are analyzed, and the vortex shedding patterns around the four square cylinders are described. It is concluded that L/D has important effects on the drag and lift coefficients, vortex shedding frequencies, and flow field characteristics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 878 ◽  
pp. 875-906
Author(s):  
Adnan Munir ◽  
Ming Zhao ◽  
Helen Wu ◽  
Lin Lu

Flow around a high-speed rotating circular cylinder for $Re\leqslant 500$ is investigated numerically. The Reynolds number is defined as $UD/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ with $U$, $D$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ being the free-stream flow velocity, the diameter of the cylinder and the kinematic viscosity of the fluid, respectively. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a high rotation rate on the wake flow for a range of Reynolds numbers. Simulations are performed for Reynolds numbers of 100, 150, 200, 250 and 500 and a wide range of rotation rates from 1.6 to 6 with an increment of 0.2. Rotation rate is the ratio of the rotational speed of the cylinder surface to the incoming fluid velocity. A systematic study is performed to investigate the effect of rotation rate on the flow transition to different flow regimes. It is found that there is a transition from a two-dimensional vortex shedding mode to no vortex shedding mode when the rotation rate is increased beyond a critical value for Reynolds numbers between 100 and 200. Further increase in rotation rate results in a transition to three-dimensional flow which is characterized by the presence of finger-shaped (FV) vortices that elongate in the wake of the cylinder and very weak ring-shaped vortices (RV) that wrap the surface of the cylinder. The no vortex shedding mode is not observed at Reynolds numbers greater than or equal to 250 since the flow remains three-dimensional. As the rotation rate is increased further, the occurrence frequency and size of the ring-shaped vortices increases and the flow is dominated by RVs. The RVs become bigger in size and the flow becomes chaotic with increasing rotation rate. A detailed analysis of the flow structures shows that the vortices always exist in pairs and the strength of separated shear layers increases with the increase of rotation rate. A map of flow regimes on a plane of Reynolds number and rotation rate is presented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 539-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waqas Sarwar Abbasi ◽  
Shams-Ul-Islam ◽  
Suvash C. Saha ◽  
Yuan Tong Gu ◽  
Zhou Chao Ying

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