Computation of incompressible flow over three-dimensional cavities

This paper investigates unsteady incompressible flow over cavities. Previous research in incompressible cavity-flow has included flow inside and past a 2-dimensional cavity, and flow inside a 3-dimensional cavity, driven by a moving lid. The present research is focused on incompressible flow past a 3-dimensional cavity. This involves the complex interaction between the external flow and the re-circulating flow within the cavity. A CFD approach, based on the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations for 3-dimensional incompressible flow, was used in the study. The cavity was assumed to be rectangular in geometry, and the flow was assumed to be laminar with a varying Reynolds number. Typical results of the computation are presented. These results reveal some useful and interesting flow phenomena, such as the Taylor-Gortler longitudinal (TGL) vortices and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.