Numerical investigation of unsteady flow past a circular cylinder using 2-D finite volume method

Abstract

The dynamic characteristics of the pressure and velocity fields of unsteady incompressible laminar and turbulent wakes behind a circular cylinder are investigated numerically and analyzed physically. The governing equations, written in the velocity pressure formulation are solved using 2-D finite volume method. The initial mechanism for vortex shedding is demonstrated and unsteady body forces are evaluated. The turbulent flow for Re = 1000 & 3900 are simulated using k-? standard, k-? Realizable and k-? SST turbulence models. The capabilities of these turbulence models to compute lift and drag coefficients are also verified. The frequencies of the drag and lift oscillations obtained theoretically agree well with the experimental results. The pressure and drag coefficients for different Reynolds numbers were also computed and compared with experimental and other numerical results. Due to faster convergence, 2-D finite volume method is found very much prospective for turbulent flow as well as laminar flow.

Keywords: Viscous unsteady flow, laminar & turbulent flow, finite volume method, circular cylinder.

DOI: 10.3329/jname.v4i1.914

Journal of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering 4(2007) 27-42