Fluid flow past a cylinder is a problem in fluid mechanics
which has been investigated for decades. The flow of a fluid around an array of
structures is found in a number of engineering applications. With the advances
in computational fluid dynamics, it is now possible to explore the wake
characteristics, in particular the phenomena of vortex shedding, in much more
detail. In this paper, the flow around an array of eight cylindrical structures
in a staggered configuration is explored at a Reynolds number of 100. The
commercial computational fluid dynamics software, ANSYS CFX, is used to model
the analysis.
In this study,
particular interest is given to the wake interactions and the forces on the
individual structures within the array. The flow pattern around the structures is
displayed using the velocity contours of the flow, for a number of spacing configurations.
The drag and lift coefficients and Strouhal number are calculated and compared
for each structure within the array at each spacing configuration. In addition,
a validation study is performed on this numerical model using two geometries,
which are similar to the cylinder array of interest.