Numerical simulation of oscillatory flow around two circular cylinders of different diameters

A detailed study of oscillatory flow around two circular cylinders of different diameters is carried out numerically. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a finite element method (FEM) with a kappa-omega turbulence closure. The numerical model is validated against oscillatory flows past a single circular cylinder where the experimental data are available in literature. Then it is employed to simulate the flow around two circular cylinders. It's found that the fluid flow field around two cylinders is different from the single cylinder case, especially when the small cylinder diameter increases. The orientation of the small cylinder and the gap between two cylinders have significant effects on the vortex shedding process and force coefficients on the cylinders.