Characteristics of Turbulent Flow Past Passive Rectangular Cavity at Large Reynolds Numbers

In the present investigation, turbulent flow past passive rectangular cavity is investigated numerically for four mainstream Reynolds numbers namely Rems = 20,000–50,000. Validation study reveals that the numerical models used in the present investigation predicts the data close to the existing experimental results. Further attempts are made to bring out the flow structure in terms of velocity profile, velocity gradients, shear layer growth rate, and turbulence characteristics. Numerical results are analyzed to bring out the variation in the velocity profile at different axial locations within the cavity. Also, the velocity gradient, turbulence level at the shear layer and the reverse flow velocity in the cavity are found to be sensitive to the mainstream Reynolds number. Finally, the cavity drag is estimated and its relation to the pressure drop across the cavity is brought out. These results reveal the nature of interaction between the passive cavity flow and mainstream flow. © 2016, The Institution of Engineers (India).