The effects of Reynolds and Prandtl numbers on flow and heat transfer across tandem square cylinders in the steady flow regime

Abstract

The effects of Reynolds and Prandtl numbers on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics over two equal isothermal square cylinders placed in a tandem arrangement in cross flow have been investigated in this article. The spacing between the cylinders is fixed with four widths of the cylinder. The numerical results are presented for the range of conditions as 1 ≤ Re ≤ 30 and 0.7 ≤ Pr ≤ 1000 for three different blockage parameters B=0.05, 0.25, and 0.5. Numerical simulations are performed with a finite volume code based on the PISO algorithm in a collocated grid system. The representative streamlines and isotherm patterns are presented and discussed. In addition, the overall drag coefficient and average Nusselt number are determined to elucidate the role of Reynolds and Prandtl numbers on flow and heat transfer. It is found that the flow is completely steady for the chosen ranges of the parameters.