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Experimental study on the flow around two tandem cylinders with unequal diameters

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Abstract

In this paper, flow around two circular cylinders in tandem arrangement with unequal diameters has been investigated using the particle image velocimetry technique (PIV) in a water channel. The upstream to downstream diameter ratio was kept constant at d/D = 2/3, the centre-to-centre distance was varied from 1.2D to 5D and the Reynolds number was varied from 1200 to 4800. The flow characteristics were analyzed through ensemble-averaged patterns of velocity, vorticity, normalized Reynolds stress contours and streamlines. Based on ensemble-averaged and instantaneous flow fields, different flow patterns, including single-wake-shedding at small spacing ratio, bi-stable flow behavior (alternating behavior of reattachment and vortex shedding) at intermediate spacing ratio and co-shedding pattern at large spacing ratio were observed. The effects of Reynolds number and the centre-to-centre spacing ratio on flow patterns and turbulent characteristics were also investigated. It was found that the diameter ratio appears to have a certain effect on the flow patterns at intermediate spacing ratios, where the reattachment of shear layer depends on the lateral width of the wake flow in the lee of the upstream cylinder. Extensive discussion on the distributions of Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy was presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, P. R. China

    Yangyang Gao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, Hangzhou, 310012, P. R. China

    Yangyang Gao

  3. Mechanical Engineering Department, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, H3C 3A7, Montreal, Canada

    Stephane Etienne

  4. Maritime Research Centre and School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang, 6397898, Singapore

    Xikun Wang & Soon Keat Tan

Authors
  1. Yangyang Gao
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  2. Stephane Etienne
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  3. Xikun Wang
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  4. Soon Keat Tan
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Correspondence to Yangyang Gao.

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Gao, Y., Etienne, S., Wang, X. et al. Experimental study on the flow around two tandem cylinders with unequal diameters. J. Ocean Univ. China 13, 761–770 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-014-2377-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-014-2377-z

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