Numerical simulation of two-dimensional complex flows around bluff bodies using the immersed boundary method

Abstract

This paper presents a two-dimensional numerical simulation of flows around different bluff bodies, at Re = 100 and 200, using the Immersed Boundary (IB) method, as a sequence of a previous work. The force density term required by the IB method is obtained with the Virtual Physical Model (VPM). Simulations were carried out for two circular cylinders of different diameter in tandem, two cylinders of the same diameter in tandem and two cylinders placed in side by side arrangement. The configurations of seven cylinders in a 'V' arrangement, for angles of 40o < a < 180o, were also simulated. A configuration of 23 different bluff bodies, representing a transverse cut in a central tower of an offshore structure, has been also simulated and the results were compared with a single compact square, of equivalent size. The Strouhal number, the drag and the lift coefficients were also calculated. The Strouhal number is calculated using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the lift coefficient temporal distribution. Visualization of the vorticity and pressure fields and the streamlines are presented for each simulation showing the flow dynamics and patterns. It was possible to verify that the IB method with VPM is a powerful methodology to simulate flows in the presence of complex geometries.