Experimental and numerical modelling of the three-dimensional incompressible flow behaviour in the near wake of circular cylinders

An experimental investigation was carried out to study the structure of the flow field around three-dimensional circular cylinders. The study of the flow field around an obstacle was performed in a wind tunnel using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. The flow of a fluid around an obstacle with a different velocity to the oncoming flow was examined. The results showed the dependence of the flow structure around the obstacle on its Reynolds number, and the spacing between a pair of obstacles. Detailed quantitative information of turbulence parameters in the vicinity of the obstacle was attained. Extensive wind tunnel experimental results are presented and compared with numerical simulation. A three-dimensional numerical model with Reynolds stress model (RSM) turbulence and a non-uniform grid system were used to examine the effects of a single cylinder and two cylinders in tandem on the flow. The principal objective was to analyse three-dimensional flow past a single cylinder and two circular cylinders placed in tandem by combining the application of a PIV experimental technique and an RSM turbulence model. For the case of two cylinders in tandem, the flow patterns are characterized in the gap region as a function of the distance between the cylinders. A good level of agreement was found between the experimental results of flow and numerical simulation. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.