Two-dimensional steady flow over a semi-circular cylinder: drag coefficient and Nusselt number

Abstract

The governing differential equations (continuity, momentum and thermal energy) describing the two-dimensional steady flow of incompressible fluids have been solved numerically for the transverse flow over a semi-circular cylinder with its base aligned parallel to the flow. Based on the limited time-dependent simulations, the flow is shown to be steady up to Reynolds number of 120. Reported herein are extensive numerical results on the detailed flow and temperature fields characterized in terms of streamlines, iso-vorticity contours, surface pressure distribution, isotherms and local Nusselt number variation on the surface of bluff body. Also, included here are the values of macroscopic parameters like drag and lift coefficients and Nusselt number over the following ranges of governing dimensionless groups: 0.01 Re ≤120; 1 ≤ Pr ≤ 500 with the maximum value of Peclet number ≤4,000. Finally, the present numerical results are correlated using simple equations thereby enabling the interpolation of the present results for the intermediate values of the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers.