Momentum and heat transfer from an asymmetrically confined circular cylinder in a plane channel

Abstract

Unsteady momentum and heat transfer from an asymmetrically confined circular cylinder in a plane channel is numerically investigated using FLUENT for the ranges of Reynolds numbers as 10 ≤ Re ≤ 500, of the blockage ratio as 0.1 ≤ β ≤ 0.4, and of the gap ratio as 0.125 ≤ γ ≤1 for a constant value of the Prandtl number of 0.744. The transition of the flow from steady to unsteady (characterized by critical Re) is determined as a function of γ and β. The effect of β on the mean drag (C̅_D) and lift (C̅_L) coefficients, Strouhal number (St), and Nusselt number (Nu_w) is studied. Critical Re was found to increase with decreasing γ for all values of β. C̅_D and St were found to increase with decreasing values of γ for fixed β and Re. The effect of decrease in β on Nu_w was found to be negligible for all blockage ratios investigated.