Small Control Cylinder Research Articles

Enhancing hydrodynamic forces through miniaturized control of square cylinders using the lattice Boltzmann method

This study investigates the influence of small control cylinders on the fluid dynamics around a square cylinder using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). Varying the gaps (L) between the main and control cylinders from 0 to 6, four distinct flow regimes are identified: the solo body regime (SBR), shear layer reattachment (SLR), suppressed fully developed flow (SFDF), and intermittent shedding (IS). The presence of control cylinders results in significant reductions in flow-induced forces, with drag coefficient (CD) and root mean square values of drag and lift coefficients (CDrms and CLrms) decreasing by approximately 31%, 90%, and 81%, respectively. The SFDF flow regime exhibits the lowest fluid forces compared to other regimes. The effects of tiny control cylinders on the fluid flow characteristics of a square cylinder are examined using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) in this research work. The gaps (L) between the main and control cylinders are varied in the range from 0 to 6. The size of each control cylinder is equal to one-fifth of the primary cylinder. According to the findings, there are four distinct flow regimes as the gap spacing varies: solo body regime (SBR), shear layer reattachment (SLR), suppressed fully developed flow (SFDF), and intermittent shedding (IS) for gap spacing ranges 0 ≤ L ≤ 0.2, 0.3 ≤ L ≤ 0.9, 1 ≤ L ≤ 3, and 3.2 ≤ L ≤ 6, respectively. Additionally, it has been noted that the amplitude of variable lift force is reduced when the gap separation between the main and control cylinders is increased. When compared to solo cylinder values, it is found that the presence of small control cylinders in the flow field results in a considerable reduction of flow-induced forces. The SFDF flow regime was determined to have the lowest fluid forces compared to the other flow regimes studied. Our findings highlight the efficacy of small control cylinders in mitigating flow-induced forces and controlling flow characteristics. The LBM proves to be a valuable computational technique for such fluid flow problems.

Arbitrary-order sensitivities of the incompressible base flow and its eigenproblem

First-order sensitivities and adjoint analysis are used widely to control the linear stability of unstable flows. Second-order sensitivities have recently helped to increase accuracy. In this paper, a method is presented to calculate arbitrary high-order sensitivities based on Taylor expansions of the incompressible base flow and its eigenproblem around a scalar parameter. For the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, general expressions for the sensitivities are derived, into which parameter-specific information can be inserted. The computational costs are low since, for all orders, a linear equation system has to be solved, of which the left-hand-side matrix stays constant and thus its preconditioning can be exploited. Two flow scenarios are examined. First, the cylinder flow equations are expanded around the inverse of the Reynolds number, enabling the prediction of the two-dimensional cylinder base flow and its leading eigenvalue as a function of the Reynolds number. This approach computes accurately the base flow and eigenvalue even in the unstable regime, providing, when executed subsequently, a mean to calculate unstable base flows. This case gives a clear introduction into the method and allows us to discuss its constraints regarding convergence behaviour. Second, a small control cylinder is introduced into the domain of the cylinder flow for stabilization. Higher-order sensitivity maps are calculated by modelling the small cylinder with a steady forcing. These maps help to identify stabilizing areas of the flow field for Reynolds numbers within the laminar vortex shedding regime, with the required number of orders increasing as the Reynolds number rises. The results obtained through the proposed method align well with numerically calculated eigenvalues that incorporate the cylinder directly into the grid.

Wake Control of Flow Past Twin Cylinders via Small Cylinders

The drag and lift force of a twin-cylinder structure are often greater than those of a single cylinder, causing serious structural safety problems. However, there are few studies on the passive control of twin cylinders. The study aimed to investigate the performance of passive drag reduction measures using small cylinders on twin cylinders at a Reynolds number of 100. The effects of small cylinder height (HD/D = 0~1.0, D is the side length of the twin cylinder) and cross-sectional shape on fluid force and flow structures were studied by direct numerical simulations. The control mechanism was analyzed using high-order dynamic mode decomposition (HODMD). The results showed that significant drag reduction occurred in the co-shedding state, particularly when the gap length of the twin cylinders L/D = 6.0. The small control cylinders with HD = 0.6, by contrast, showed the best performance in reducing the mean drag and fluctuating lift of the twin cylinders. It reduced the mean drag of the upstream cylinder (UC) by 2.58% and the downstream cylinder (DC) by more than 62.97%. The fluctuating lift coefficient for UC (DC) was also decreased by more than 70.41% (59.74%). The flow structures showed that when the flow hit UC under the action of small control cylinders, a virtual missile-like aerodynamic shape was formed at the leading edge of UC. In this way, the gap vortex consisted of two asymmetric steady vortices and the vortex length significantly increased. This was also confirmed by HODMD. The coherence modes in the gap were suppressed and thus the interaction between gap flow and wake flow was mitigated, which resulted in the fluid force reduction.

Single-step deep reinforcement learning for open-loop control of laminar and turbulent flows

We introduce single-step proximal policy optimization, a deep reinforcement learning algorithm for situations where neural network optimization does not depend on state. Optimization is examined with open-loop control problems of laminar and turbulent flows (Re up to a few ${10}^{4}$). For turbulent flow past a square cylinder, the approach reduces drag by 30% by finding the best placement of a small control cylinder, in agreement with existing experimental data. For turbulent flow past a fluidic pinball, drag is reduced by 60% by using boat tailing actuation made up of a slowly rotating front cylinder and two oppositely rotating downstream cylinders, matching existing machine learning results.

Fluid dynamics around three cylinders in presence of small control cylinders

A numerical study is performed to analyze the effect of small control cylinders on fluid force reduction and vortex shedding suppression on the flow past three inline square cylinders using the lattice Boltzmann method. The Reynolds number Re = 160 is fixed while the spacing between the cylinders is taken in the range of 1.0D ≤ g* ≤ 5.0D (where D is the size of the main cylinder) and the control cylinder size is varied from 0.1D to 0.5D. To systematically understand the effect of control cylinders on the forces, a detailed analysis of Strouhal number (St), mean drag coefficient (CDmean), and root mean square values of the drag and lift coefficients is presented in this paper. In this study, it is observed that the average mean drag coefficient (CDmeanaverage) and Strouhal number reached either maximum or minimum values at different values of separation ratio (g*) and small control cylinder size (d). It is found that at (g*, d) = (5.0, 0.0) and (1.0, 0.5), the average CDmean attains its maximum (CDmeanaverage = 0.7813) and minimum (CDmean = 0.0988) values. Furthermore, at (g*, d) = (5.0, 0.3) and (2.0, 0.0) the average St attains its maximum (St = 0.1780) and minimum (St = 0.041) values. It is found that the flow regimes completely change in the presence of control cylinders. In particular, at g* = 4.0 there is a critical flow regime when the size of the control cylinder changes from 0.1 to 0.5. The sudden jump in the mean drag coefficient and Strouhal number for the middle cylinder with their maximum and minimum values also confirms the critical flow regime. The effect of control cylinders within tandem square cylinders has not been studied before.

Suppression of vortex shedding in flow around a square cylinder using control cylinder

Abstract The closeness or matching of the self-sustained vortex shedding excitation with the structural frequency of the body may cause resonance resulting in structural failures. The present study aims at the suppression of vortex shedding using a passive method, by placing a small control cylinder in the near wake of the main cylinder. Square control cylinders of sides either 20%, 25% or 30% of the main cylinder are employed to change the dynamics of the flow. Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of two-dimensional, unsteady, incompressible flow past a square cylinder at Reynolds numbers of 75, 100 and 125 has been carried out. The Navier–Stokes equations are solved using Marker and Cell (MAC) method with the second-order spatial and temporal discretizations. Computed results indicate that there exists an explicit spatial domain present on the edges of the separating shear layers in the near wake within which the placement of the control cylinder guarantees complete suppression. The mechanism of the suppression may be attributed to an effective increase in vorticity diffusion of the separating shear layer. Also, changes in the control cylinder size and Reynolds number have a considerable effect on the vortex shedding suppression. A remarkable drag reduction of the main cylinder is also achieved for partial as well as complete suppression. The study also highlights that the partial suppression of vortex shedding results in significant reductions in Strouhal number, and fluctuating lift and drag forces. The control behavior of the flow past a square cylinder surprisingly resembles that of the flow past a circular cylinder.

Modification of turbulent wake characteristics by two small control cylinders at a subcritical Reynolds number

In this paper, the flow around a main circular cylinder with two small control cylinders is numerically investigated at a subcritical Reynolds number of 3900. Two small control cylinders with diameter ratio of d/D = 0.04 (d and D are the diameters of the control cylinders and the main cylinder, respectively) are symmetrically placed inside the separated shear layers emanating from the main cylinder. The computation is performed with highly resolved direct numerical simulations employing a high-order spectral/hp element method. For validation purposes, the results of the flow over a single cylinder are presented at first, and the current simulation is in good agreement with the existing experiments and large eddy simulations. For the main cylinder with the two control cylinders, the dynamics of shear layers is found to be modified strongly owing to the disturbance from the small control cylinders. As a consequence, the recirculation length is decreased by 89% as compared to that of a single cylinder. The presence of the small control cylinders further leads to a significant increase in the fluctuating lift and the mean drag exerting on the main cylinder. Furthermore, the statistical analysis and turbulent wake visualization imply that the turbulent intensity is amplified in the near wake region and becomes weaker further downstream. This study then suggests that the small control cylinders located in the near wake region of the main cylinder may work differently in the turbulent wake against that in the laminar wake.

Drag reduction of slender blunt-based bodies using optimized rear cavities

We have investigated the use of the adjoint sensitivity formulation to design efficient passive control strategies aiming at reducing the drag coefficient of a slender blunt-based body with a straight rear cavity. In particular, two control techniques consisting in wake modifications generated by placing small control cylinders in the near wake and by geometry variations of the cavity respectively, have been evaluated numerically. Thus, we have computed the turbulent flow sensitivity of the drag coefficient to localized forcing for a two-dimensional body with a straight cavity at Re=ρU∞H∕μ=2000, where U∞ is the free-stream velocity, ρ and μ the fluid density and viscosity respectively and H the body height, showing that the highest values of sensitivity are obtained near the cavity edges. The effect of placing a pair of control cylinders around the most sensitive locations has been studied, obtaining a largest drag reduction of only 0.6%. Alternatively, a most efficient control strategy based on shape optimization has been thoroughly investigated. The drag shape sensitivity on the body surface (Othmer, 2014), computed using the former linear adjoint formulation, has been used in combination with a free-form deformation algorithm (Han et al., 2011), to guide the local structure deformations of the cavity, providing progressive drag reductions until the optimal, curved, shape is achieved. To deeply analyze the physical mechanisms behind the drag reduction provided by the optimal cavity, we have also performed more realistic three-dimensional numerical simulations using an IDDES model at two different Reynolds numbers, Re=2000 and 20000. The results corroborate the sensitivity analysis, obtaining a total drag reduction of 25.6% at Re=2000 and 43.9% at Re=20000, with respect to the original body without cavity, and 21.7% at Re=2000 and 29.6% at Re=20000 with respect to the body with a straight cavity. These reductions are mainly achieved by the inwards deflection of the flow upon detachment and a flow deceleration at the trailing edge due to an adverse pressure gradient introduced by the curved shape of the optimal cavity walls. Both combined effects reduce the size of the recirculation bubble formed behind the body, increasing the base pressure, and consequently, decreasing the drag. Furthermore, the addition of the optimized base cavity reduces the amplitude of the velocity fluctuations behind the body and stabilizes the wake, which becomes less chaotic and more two-dimensional.

Active flow control of vortex induced vibrations of a circular cylinder subjected to non-harmonic forcing

A wide variety of waves and currents are abound in wind and ocean engineering practice. These wave forms could be harmonic as well as non-harmonic and may lead to the formation of wake vortices, behind a circular cylinder. The alternating lift forces on such structures could in turn result in damaging flow induced vibrations. In the present study, we propose a simple momentum injection based active flow control strategy to suppress such vortex induced oscillations at low Reynolds numbers. Two small control cylinders located at 120°, behind the main cylinder play the role of actuators, that enforce the desired momentum injection. Detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are carried out, by solving mass, momentum conservation equations in conjunction with a control equation, and a dynamical evolution equation for the structural motion. Non-harmonic inlet forcing on a flexibly mounted circular cylinder generates vortex induced vibrations, which is numerically simulated. Then by controlling the wake vortices, vortex induced vibrations are completely controlled. Analysis of the leeward region behind the main cylinder reveals a different wake signature, with blobs of residual vorticity along the wake centreline. This is attributed to the phase asynchrony between the inlet forcing and the vortex induced vibrations.

A computational study of drag reduction and vortex shedding suppression of flow past a square cylinder in presence of small control cylinders

This article presents a two-dimensional numerical study of the unsteady laminar flow from a square cylinder in presence of multiple small control cylinders. The cylinders are placed in an unconfined medium at low Reynolds numbers (Re = 100 and 160). Different flow phenomena are captured for the gap spacings (g = s/D, where s is the surface-to-surface distance between the main cylinder and small control cylinders and D is the size of the main cylinder) between 0.25 – 3 and angle of attack (θ) ranging from 300 to 1800. Numerical calculations are performed by using a lattice Boltzmann method. In this paper, the important flow physics of different observed flow patterns in terms of instantaneous vorticity contours visualization, time-trace analysis of drag and lift coefficients and power spectra analysis of lift coefficient are presented and discussed. Drag reduction and suppression of vortex shedding is also discussed in detail and compared with the available experimental and numerical results qualitatively as well as quantitatively. In addition, the mean drag coefficient, Strouhal number, root-mean-square values of the drag and lift coefficients are determined and compared with a single square cylinder without small control cylinders. We found that the drag is reduced 99.8% and 97.6% for (θ, g) = (300, 3) at Re = 100 and 160, respectively.

Evaluating the control of a cylinder wake by the method of sensitivity analysis

Numerical simulations and sensitivity analysis are carried out regarding control vortex shedding from a circular cylinder using small rotating and non-rotating control cylinders. Prediction of the changes in unsteady wake, instability growth rate, and frequency produced by the control devices is presented in the framework of sensitivity analysis to steady field force. In the case of the rotating cylinders, this prediction relies on the observation that the small control cylinders introduce a steady force whose direction is not aligned to the base flow direction. This external force direction depends on the control cylinders rotation rates having an additional parameter to attain flow control. The evaluation of the control cylinders rotation rate within the sensitivity analysis framework is a novel contribution in this work. The results of the sensitivity analysis to a steady force are then compared to direct numerical simulation computations of the flow fields serving as supporting data for discussion.

Experimental and Theoretical Sensitivity Analysis of Turbulent Flow Past a Square Cylinder

We assess experimentally and theoretically the ability of a small control cylinder to alter vortex shedding in turbulent flow past a square cylinder at R e = 22,000. Results are presented in terms of sensitivity maps showing the flow regions where the shedding frequency and amplitude are most affected by the control cylinder. Experimental results are obtained for a ratio 0.02 of the cylinder diameters, over an extended domain covering the wake, the shear layers and the free stream. The shedding frequency can be either decreased or increased, the largest effects being obtained placing the control cylinder at the outer edge of the detached shear layers (associated with frequency decrease) or upstream of the square cylinder (associated with frequency increase, in contrast with previous results obtained for a D-shaped geometry of the main cylinder). In contrast, the oscillation amplitude is rarely decreased, meaning that any variation of the shedding frequency comes at the expense of more intense vortex shedding. These findings are revisited in the frame of a theoretical, linear sensitivity analysis of the time-averaged mean flow, performed using adjoint methods in the frame of Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes modeling. We show that the retained approach carries valuable information in view of guiding efficient control strategy, as it allows identifying the main regions yielding either a decrease or an increase of the shedding frequency in striking agreement with the experiments. This is a tremendous timesaving in so far as the controlled states need not be computed, the overall computational cost being roughly that of computing the mean flow. In contrast, performing the sensitivity analysis on the underlying unstable steady state yields flawed predictions, hence stressing the need to encompass some level of mean coherent-coherent perturbations interaction in the linear model.

Effect of Reynolds Numbers on Flow Past a Square Cylinder in Presence of Multiple Control Cylinders at Various Gap Spacings

In this paper, the numerical investigations for drag reduction and vortex shedding suppression behind a square cylinder are carried out in presence of small control cylinders placed both at upstream and downstream locations of main cylinder. The numerical computations are performed in the ranges of \(80 \le Re \le 200\) and \(0.5 \le g \le 6\), (where Re is the Reynolds number and g is the gap spacing between the control cylinders and main square cylinder, respectively) using a single relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method (SRT-LBM). Firstly, the present code is validated for flow past a single square cylinder at different Reynolds numbers. The effects of Re and g are investigated in terms of vortex shedding frequency, time-history analysis of drag and lift coefficients, energy spectra analysis of lift coefficient, vorticity contours visualization and forces exerted on the cylinder. Three different types of flow patterns are observed at different combinations of Reynolds numbers and gap spacings. The maximum reduction in the mean drag force and root-mean-square value of lift coefficient is found. Furthermore, the applications of SRT-LBM for suppression of vortex shedding and reduction in the drag force are also discussed.

A self-consistent formulation for the sensitivity analysis of finite-amplitude vortex shedding in the cylinder wake

We use the adjoint method to compute sensitivity maps for the limit-cycle frequency and amplitude of the Bénard–von Kármán vortex street in the wake of a circular cylinder. The sensitivity analysis is performed in the frame of the semi-linear self-consistent model recently introduced by Mantič et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 113, 2014, 084501), which allows us to describe accurately the effect of the control on the mean flow, but also on the finite-amplitude fluctuation that couples back nonlinearly onto the mean flow via the formation of Reynolds stress. The sensitivity is computed with respect to arbitrary steady and synchronous time-harmonic body forces. For a small amplitude of the control, the theoretical variations of the limit-cycle frequency predict well those of the controlled flow, as obtained from either self-consistent modelling or direct numerical simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations. This is not the case if the variations are computed in the simpler mean flow approach overlooking the coupling between the mean and fluctuating components of the flow perturbation induced by the control. The variations of the limit-cycle amplitude (that falls out the scope of the mean flow approach) are also correctly predicted, meaning that the approach can serve as a relevant and systematic guideline to control strongly unstable flows exhibiting non-small, finite amplitudes of oscillation. As an illustration, we apply the method to control by means of a small secondary control cylinder and discuss the obtained results in the light of the seminal experiments of Strykowski & Sreenivasan (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 218, 1990, pp. 71–107).

Simultaneous CFD evaluation of VIV suppression using smaller control cylinders

Two-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of a circular cylinder with and without two smaller control cylinders are investigated numerically by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models coupling with a fluid–structure interaction (FSI) computational method. The numerical model is validated against experimental data of VIV of an isolated cylinder in uniform current. The study is aimed to investigate the effect of smaller control cylinders on VIV suppression. The trajectories of cylinder motion, amplitude response, and temporal evolution of vortex shedding and streamlines are obtained by conducting a series of simulations. And the effect of Reynolds number, located angle and rotational rate of small control cylinders are discussed in detail. It is found that placing small cylinders at 45° to the downstream vector can achieve a good suppression effect, but the effect is different at different Re. Rotating control cylinders with a reasonable rotation velocity can further enhance the VIV suppression by injecting enough momentum into the boundary layer of the main cylinder. The best effect is found at Uc=10, which has a 64.56% reduction in the transverse vibration response.

Characterization of the turbulent bistable flow regime of a 2D bluff body wake disturbed by a small control cylinder

A small control cylinder placed in a turbulent wake of a much larger 2D bluff body can cause a significant increase in drag fluctuations. These fluctuations occur on timescales longer than the timescales of the vortex shedding. The critical positions of the control cylinder are highly localized. Ensemble averages of PIV acquisitions and pressure measurements at the base of the bluff body reveal a bistable wake regime. Long duration hot-wire measurements are used to characterize the states and the transition process. The results show that a stochastic process is responsible for the transitions between the two stable states.

Quasi-laminar stability and sensitivity analyses for turbulent flows: Prediction of low-frequency unsteadiness and passive control

This article presents a quasi-laminar stability approach to identify in high-Reynolds number flows the dominant low-frequencies and to design passive control means to shift these frequencies. The approach is based on a global linear stability analysis of mean-flows, which correspond to the time-average of the unsteady flows. Contrary to the previous work by Meliga et al. [“Sensitivity of 2-D turbulent flow past a D-shaped cylinder using global stability,” Phys. Fluids 24, 061701 (2012)], we use the linearized Navier-Stokes equations based solely on the molecular viscosity (leaving aside any turbulence model and any eddy viscosity) to extract the least stable direct and adjoint global modes of the flow. Then, we compute the frequency sensitivity maps of these modes, so as to predict before hand where a small control cylinder optimally shifts the frequency of the flow. In the case of the D-shaped cylinder studied by Parezanović and Cadot [J. Fluid Mech. 693, 115 (2012)], we show that the present approach well captures the frequency of the flow and recovers accurately the frequency control maps obtained experimentally. The results are close to those already obtained by Meliga et al., who used a more complex approach in which turbulence models played a central role. The present approach is simpler and may be applied to a broader range of flows since it is tractable as soon as mean-flows — which can be obtained either numerically from simulations (Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS), Large Eddy Simulation (LES), unsteady Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS), steady RANS) or from experimental measurements (Particle Image Velocimetry - PIV) — are available. We also discuss how the influence of the control cylinder on the mean-flow may be more accurately predicted by determining an eddy-viscosity from numerical simulations or experimental measurements. From a technical point of view, we finally show how an existing compressible numerical simulation code may be used in a black-box manner to extract the global modes and sensitivity maps.

Very Large Eddy Simulation of Passive Drag Control for a D-Shaped Cylinder

The numerical study reported here deals with the passive flow control around a two-dimensional D-shaped bluff body at a Reynolds number of Re=3.6×104. A small circular control cylinder located in the near wake behind the main bluff body is employed as a local disturbance of the shear layer and the wake. 3D simulations are carried out using a newly developed very large eddy simulation (VLES) method, based on the standard k − ε turbulence model. The aim of this study is to validate the performance of this method for the complex flow control problem. Numerical results are compared with available experimental data, including global flow parameters and velocity profiles. Good agreements are observed. Numerical results suggest that the bubble recirculation length is increased by about 36% by the local disturbance of the small cylinder, which compares well to the experimental observations in which the length is increased by about 38%. A drag reduction of about 18% is observed in the VLES simulation, which is quite close to the experimental value of 17.5%. It is found that the VLES method is able to predict the flow control problem quite well.

Oscillatory sensitivity patterns for global modes in wakes

AbstractGlobally unstable wakes with co-flow at intermediate Reynolds numbers are studied, to quantify important spatial regions for the development and control of the global instability. One region of high structural sensitivity is found close to the inlet for all wakes, in agreement with previous findings for cylinder wakes. A second, elongated region of high structural sensitivity is seen downstream of the first one for unconfined wakes at $\mathit{Re}= 400$. When base-flow modifications are considered, a spatially oscillating sensitivity pattern is found inside the downstream high-structural-sensitivity region. This implies that the same change in the base flow can either destabilize or stabilize the flow, depending on the exact position where it is applied. It is shown that the sensitivity pattern remains unchanged for different choices of streamwise boundary conditions and numerical resolution. The actual base-flow is modified in selected configurations, and the linear global modes recomputed. It is confirmed that the linear global eigenvalues move according to the predicted sensitivity pattern for small-amplitude base-flow modifications, for which the theory applies. We also look at the implications of a small control cylinder for the flow. Only the upstream high-sensitivity region proves to be robust in terms of control, but one should be careful not to disturb the flow in the downstream high-sensitivity region, in order to achieve control. The findings can have direct implications for the numerical resolution requirements for wakes at higher Reynolds numbers. Furthermore, they provide one more possible explanation for why confined wakes have a more narrow frequency spectrum than unconfined wakes.

On experimental sensitivity analysis of the turbulent wake from an axisymmetric blunt trailing edge

The sensitivity to steady local disturbances of the turbulent wake over a 3D blunt body with an axisymmetric trailing edge is investigated at Re = 2.1 × 104. The flow presents a favored m = 2 azimuthal periodicity due to the mounting of the body. It is proved that two asymmetric flows cohabit and generate a statistically symmetric natural flow. Topology shifts are random but are visible after a large number of global mode periods. The statistical symmetry is highly sensitive to any steady antisymmetric disturbance. As a consequence, depending on its position, a small control cylinder (considered as a disturbance with m = 1 azimuthal periodicity) in the close wake fixes the flow to one asymmetric topology affecting shedding activity as well as drag. On the contrary, a thin control ring (i.e., m = 0 disturbance) preserves the mean flow symmetry and has a greater impact on global mode frequency and drag. Whatever the disturbance, the sensitivity of the wake to control devices is concentrated into the mixing layers; the observed effects seem to depend more upon their local turbulent characteristics than on the global inviscid dynamics of vorticity.