Steady non-Newtonian flow past a circular cylinder: a numerical study

Abstract

The steady and incompressible flow of non-Newtonian fluids past a circular cylinder is investigated for power law indices n between 0.2 and 1.4, blockage ratios of 0.037, 0.082 and 0.164, and the Reynolds numbers Re of 1, 20 and 40, using a stream function/vorticity formulation. The governing field equations have been solved by using a second-order accurate finite difference method to determine the drag coefficient, wake length, separation angle and flow patterns, and to investigate their dependence on power law index, blockage ratio and Reynolds number. The results reported here provide fundamental knowledge on the dependence of engineering flow parameters on blockage ratio and power law index, and further show that the effects on stream line and iso-vorticity patterns which result from an increase in the blockage ratio are similar to those which result from a decrease in the power law index.