Research Projects

The purpose of the work proposed herein is to use a robust numerical algorithm to investigate flow physics and convective heat transfer past a sinusoidally oscillating ellipse shaped cylinder in the presence of laminar, viscous, incompressible Newtonian fluid in a uniform stream. The numerical simulations encompass the solutions of the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy viz. the Navier-Stokes equations using a higher order compact (HOC) finite difference numerical scheme. The numerical scheme is higher (at least third) order accurate and compact in the sense that it uses grid points located only adjacent to the central node. A comprehensive analysis of flow physics will be done for a wide range of parameters viz. Reynolds number, Prandtl number, aspect ratio of the ellipse, angle of inclination and, the amplitude and frequency of the oscillatory motion. The objectives of the current proposal are to (i) Derive an HOC scheme pertinent to the governing equations in the computational domain. (ii) Compare the numerical results with the previous numerical and experimental studies for validation. (iii) Investigate the characteristics of flow and thermal fields in the wake at various times after the commencement of the oscillations of the cylinder. (iv) Investigate the effects of variations in the flow and cylinder parameters on the vortex formation, spatio-temporal movement of their centres and closure points, vortex strengths in addition to the identification of vortex shedding modes and lock-on regimes. (v) Find a connection between the vortex shedding phenomenon (i.e., lock-on regimes) and the heat convection mechanism in case of a heated cylinder.