Numerical simulation of two-dimensional laminar unsteady flow past a right trapezoidal cylinder at low Reynolds number: study of sharpening angle, time step, grid independence and domain size

Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand

^* Corresponding author : sodsai.l@hotmail.co.th

Abstract

Numerical simulation of two-dimensional laminar unsteady flow past a right trapezoidal cylinder at low Reynolds number (Re = 100), zero of the flow approaching angle and sharpening angle of the right trapezoidal of 22.5° with a side ratio B/A = 1 are carried out to provide moreapplicable data for engineering design of barred tee in aspect of structural integrity. A finite volume method, non-uniform meshing with second-order implicit time discretization into eight-node quadratic quadrilateral finite elements is employed. An incompressible flow SIMPLEC code with constant fluid properties is used. The convective terms using a third-order QUICK scheme. The numerical simulation result is compared against the published results of flow past a square cylinder. The effect of sharpening angle on the response of the right trapezoidal cylinder is investigated. A special study of the effects of flow on significant factor for time step, grid independence, blockage ratio, domain size, upstream and downstream extents, size domain next to cylinder and size domain extent are performed systematically. The Strouhal number and RMS lift coefficients of fully saturated flow are calculated. The result shown that increasing of sharpening angle, the Strouhal number is negligible changed whilst the RMS lift coefficients significantly increased.