Flow patterns past two circular cylinders in proximity

Flow patterns past two nearby circular cylinders of equal diameter immersed in the cross-flow at low Reynolds numbers (Re <= 160), were numerically studied using an immersed boundary method. We considered all possible arrangements of the two cylinders in terms of the distance between the two cylinders and the inclination angle of the line connecting the cylinder centers with respect to the direction of the main flow. Ten distinct flow patterns were identified in total based on vorticity contours and streamlines, which are Steady, Near-Steady, Base-Bleed, Biased-Base-Bleed, Shear-Layer-Reattachment, Induced-Separation, Vortex-Impingement, Flip-Flopping, Modulated Periodic, and Synchronized-Vortex-Shedding. Collecting all the numerical results obtained, we propose a general flow-pattern diagram for each Re, and a contour diagram on vortex-shedding frequency for each cylinder at Re = 100. The perfect symmetry implied in the geometrical configuration allows one to use these diagrams to identify flow pattern and vortex-shedding frequencies in the presence of two circular cylinders of equal diameter arbitrarily positioned in physical space with respect to the main-flow direction. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.