TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING
PULCHOWK CAMPUS

AN ASSIGNMENT REPORT
ON
FLOW AROUND A 2D CYLINDER AND THREE BODIES WITH DIFFERENT
PROFILES USING ANSYS

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

Name: Praphul Mishra Assistant Professor Kamal Darlami
Roll no. : 076BAS027 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, IOE Pulchowk Campus

Date: 15 July, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4
OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................. 6
ASSIGNED PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS ................................................................................... 6
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 28
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 30

1
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Schematic of a Circular Cylinder .................................................................................... 4
Figure 2: Regimes of fluid flow across a smooth circular cylinder. (Image from Lienhard’s
(1966) Synopsis of Lift, Drag, and Vortex Frequency Data for Rigid Circular Cylinders,
Technical Extension Service) ......................................................................................................... 5
Figure 3: CD vs. Number of elements ............................................................................................. 8
Figure 4: Geometry of rectangle body (A) ................................................................................... 11
Figure 5 : Geometry of bullet shaped body (B) ............................................................................ 11
Figure 6 : Geometry of streamlined body (C) ............................................................................... 11
Figure 7 : Geometry of fluid domain for body A.......................................................................... 12
Figure 8 : Geometry of fluid domain for body B .......................................................................... 12
Figure 9 : Geometry of fluid domain for body C .......................................................................... 13
Figure 10: Different Boundaries of problem domain for body B ................................................. 14
Figure 11: Mesh of fluid domain for Body A ............................................................................... 15
Figure 12: Zoomed in view of figure 8 (focusing on boundary of Body A) ................................ 16
Figure 13: Mesh elements skewness of fluid domain for Body A ................................................ 16
Figure 14: Mesh of fluid domain for Body B ............................................................................... 17
Figure 15: Zoomed in view of figure 11 (focusing on boundary of Body B) ............................... 18
Figure 16: Mesh elements skewness of fluid domain for Body B ................................................ 18
Figure 17: Mesh of fluid domain for Body C ............................................................................... 19
Figure 18: Zoomed in view of figure 14 (focusing on boundary of Body C) ............................... 20
Figure 19: Mesh elements skewness of fluid domain for Body C ................................................ 20
Figure 20: Velocity contour for Rectangular body ....................................................................... 21
Figure 21: Pressure contour for Rectangular body ....................................................................... 22
Figure 22: Velocity contour for a bullet shaped body .................................................................. 22
Figure 23: Pressure contour for a bullet shaped body................................................................... 23
Figure 24: Velocity contour for a streamlined body ..................................................................... 24
Figure 25: Pressure contour for a streamlined body ..................................................................... 25
Figure 26: Screenshot of Console tab for drag values of streamlined body ................................. 26
Figure 27: Screenshot of Console tab for drag values of rectangular body For streamlined body
....................................................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 28: Screenshot of Console tab for drag values of bullet shaped body............................... 27

2
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: CD value of different bodies ............................................................................................ 25
Table 2: Different types of drag in different shapes ..................................................................... 27

3
INTRODUCTION
A body is classified as aerodynamically bluff – in opposite to streamlined – “when the flow
streamlines do not follow the surface of the body, but detach from it leaving regions of separated
flow and a wide trailing wake”. Circular cylinders belong to the class of bluff bodies with
rounded shape, characterized by a separation point which can move and adjust itself in response
to the flow structure in the separated region. In particular, separation will generally be delayed
when transition from laminar to turbulent boundary layer occurs.
The flow over a circular cylinder represents one of the most widely investigated fundamental
problems of fluid mechanics. A two-dimensional flow past a circular cylinder is shown in the
figure below. A cylinder of diameter d is placed with its axis normal to a flow of free stream
speed u0; that means that up is the speed that would exist everywhere if the cylinder were absent
and that still exists far away from the cylinder. The cylinder is so long compared with d that its
ends have no effect; we can then think of it as an infinite cylinder with the same behaviour
occurring in every plane normal to the axis. Also, the other boundaries to the flow (e.g. the walls
of a wind-tunnel in which the cylinder is placed) are so far away that they have no effect.

Figure 1: Schematic of a Circular Cylinder

For viscous fluids the flow pattern is much more complicated and the balance between inertia
forces and viscous forces is important. The relative importance is expressed by the Reynolds
number Re:
ρVD
𝑅𝑒 =
μ
where, D is the diameter and μ is the viscosity of the fluid.
As the fluid approaches the front side of the tube, the fluid pressure rises from the freestream
value to the stagnation point value. The high pressure forces the fluid to move along the tube
surface and boundary layers develop on both sides. The pressure force is counteracted by viscous
forces and the fluid cannot follow the tube surface to the rear side but separates from both sides
of the tube and form two shear layers. The innermost part of the shear layers are in contact with
the tube surface and moves slower than the outermost part. As a result, the shear layers roll up.

4
The flow pattern is dependent on the Reynolds number and in Figure 2 a principal description of
the various occurring flow phenomena is provided.
As the Reynolds number (Re) increases, the fluid exhibits a series of different flow structures
(Figure 2), which encompasses flow separation and vortex shedding in its wake, all contributing
to drag, lift, and heat-transfer characteristics of the circular cylinder. The flow field over the
cylinder is symmetric at low Reynolds number. As the Reynolds number increases, the flow
begins to separate behind the cylinder, and vortex shedding occurs. Vortex shedding is an
unsteady phenomenon. Unsteady (time-dependent) simulations are needed to capture these
effects. In this case study, the influence of Re on the flow characteristics and heat transfer will be
investigated.

Figure 2: Regimes of fluid flow across a smooth circular cylinder. (Image from Lienhard’s (1966) Synopsis of Lift, Drag, and
Vortex Frequency Data for Rigid Circular Cylinders, Technical Extension Service)

5
OBJECTIVES
i. To study the 2D flow round a cylinder under steady and transient conditions.
ii. To analyze the effects of streamlining on drag reduction with various geometry.
iii. To investigate the dependence of accuracy of solution on the number of mesh
elements defining the problem.
iv. To study the effects of boundary layers, boundary layer separation, body
streamlining, drag forces, etc.
ASSIGNED PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS
Q1. Download the second ANSYS Fluent tutorial from MS Team and study it carefully. If
there are any unclear parts, steps that you cannot follow, steps in which ANSYS does not
behave in the way described in the tutorial or if you notice any mistakes or typos, take
notes about them and submit them as an answer to this question. Otherwise answer this
question by writing “Everything was clear, and I did not notice any mistakes”.
Ans: The statement that needs to be corrected for the tutorial 2 sections are as follows:
a. Step 4e (Page 27): The streamline figure does not match the description provided. The
description instructs starting the streamline from a single point, but the figure shows multiple
points of origin in the wake region.
b. Step 5j (Page 51, description below important section): The distance traveled by a particle
with a characteristic speed of 80 m/s, as mentioned in the description, is incorrect after a total
simulation time of 4 seconds. It should be 320 meters instead of the stated 160 meters.
c. Exercise 2, Question 3: The number of elements listed in the table does not correspond
correctly to the given number of divisions in the radial and circumferential directions for cases 1,
2, 3, and 4.

Q2. The Reynolds number values considered in Tutorial 2 are very low. To appreciate how
low they are, consider the following problems.
a) A suspension bridge has support cables of 60 cm in diameter. Considering air’s density
and viscosity to be1.2 kg/m3 and 1.8×10-5 Pa.s, respectively, calculate the wind speed that
will correspond to Re = 80. Also calculate the Reynolds number that corresponds to the
design wind speed of 45 m/s?
Ans:
Given,
Diameter (d) =60cm=0.6m
Air density (ρ) =1.2 kg/m3
Viscosity (μ) = 1.8*10-5 Pa.s
We know that, Reynolds number can be calculated by:

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 ρVD
𝑅𝑒 = μ
0.6
𝑜𝑟, 80 = 1.2 ∗ 𝑉 ∗ 1.8∗10−5

∵ V= 2*10-3 m/s
The wind speed corresponding to Re = 80 is 2*10-3m/s.

Also, for Reynolds number corresponding to design wing speed of 45 m/s is given by
0.6
∵ 𝑅𝑒 = 1.2 ∗ 45 ∗ 1.8∗10−5

𝐑𝐞 = 𝟏. 𝟖 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟔
b) A submarine communication cable has 25 mm diameter. Considering sea water’s density
and viscosity to be1027 kg/m3 and 1.41×10-3 Pa.s, respectively, calculate the water current
speed that will correspond to Re = 80.
Ans:
Given,
Diameter (d) =25 mm= 0.025 m
Sea water density (ρ) =1027 kg/m3
Viscosity (μ) = 1.41*10-3 Pa.s
We know that, Reynolds number can be calculated by:
ρVD
𝑅𝑒 = μ
0.025
𝑜𝑟, 80 = 1027 ∗ 𝑉 ∗ 1.41∗10−3

∵ V= 4.39*10-3 m/s
The water current speed corresponding to Re = 80 is 4.39*10-3m/s.

Q3. Let’s solve the problem of Tutorial 2 using a series of systematically refined meshes
and perform a mesh independence study based on 𝐶𝐷. In a typical mesh independence
study, the ratio of number of elements in successive meshes is kept around 2. For the
meshing strategy used in the tutorial, this can be achieved by increasing the number of
elements in both the radial and circumferential directions by a factor of √2. This results in
the following meshes.

a) Perform Re=40 solutions (not 𝑅𝑒=80) with these meshes and obtain the missing 𝐶𝐷
values in the table. The mesh used in Case 6 is the one used in the tutorial.
Ans:

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 Case Division in Division in the Number of
the radial circumferential elements % Difference
CD
direction direction
1 21 7 714 1.6181 4.56
2 30 10 1560 1.5760 1.84
3 43 14 2752 1.5661 1.20
4 60 20 5040 1.5576 0.65
5 85 28 9520 1.5524 0.32
6 120 40 19200 1.5488 0.084
7 170 56 38080 1.5475 ….

b) Plot 𝐶𝐷 vs. number of elements and comment on mesh independence.

Ans:

Figure 3: CD vs. Number of elements

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Mesh Independence refers to the level of convergence observed in numerical simulations as the
mesh is refined. In ANSYS, the purpose of achieving mesh independence is to ensure that the
mesh resolution does not overly affect the numerical solution.
In the provided plot, it can be seen that as the number of mesh elements increases, the drag
coefficient (CD).gradually approaches a constant value. However, the convergence is not
complete due to insufficient data points for the drag coefficient at higher numbers of mesh
elements. Initially, with a small number of elements, the drag coefficient quickly converges
towards a constant value. As the number of elements surpasses 19,000, the solution reaches a
state where it mostly stabilizes at a constant value of convergence. Further increasing the number
of elements eventually leads to a point where the solution consistently converges towards a
single, steady value for the drag coefficient (CD).

c)Calculate the % differences of each 𝐶𝐷 value with respect to the one of Case 7
(considering that it is most accurate one) and comment on which of the meshes are
acceptable as far as the accuracy of 𝐶𝐷 is concerned.
Ans:
The percentage of difference of each CD value is calculated using following process:
Case 1
1.6181−1.5475
% difference = ∗ 100 = 4.56%
1.5475
Case 2
1.5760−1.5475
% difference = ∗ 100 = 1.84%
1.5475

Case 3
1.5661−1.5475
% difference = ∗ 100 = 1.20%
1.5475
Case 4
1.5576−1.5475
% difference = ∗ 100 = 0.65%
1.5475
Case 5
1.5524−1.5475
% difference = ∗ 100 = 0.32%
1.5475

Case 6
1.5488−1.5475
% difference = ∗ 100 = 0.084%
1.5475

9
These values have been filled on the above table.
Comment:
The mesh employed in case 6 is deemed satisfactory as there is a very small percentage
difference compared to the most accurate case, case 7. This fact is also evident from the CD vs.
number of elements plot, where the line representing the drag coefficient (CD) between case 6
and case 7 appears to be relatively linear, indicating a consistent relationship between the two
cases.
Q4. The object considered in Tutorial 2, the cylinder, is a blunt object. It is not
streamlined. As we know, streamlining a blunt body is known to reduce the drag force.
Following figure taken from Munson’s fluid mechanics book gives an example of this.
Three different two-dimensional objects with the same frontal area, i.e. the same height,
can produce vastly different 𝐶𝐷 values. Unfortunately, we do not know at which Reynolds
number this study is done.

Draw the above three geometries as close as you can to what you see above, put them into
proper fluid domains, generate proper meshes and perform 𝑅𝑒=100 simulations. 𝑅𝑒
number is based on the height of the objects, which is the same for all. Select the fluid
properties by yourself.

a) Provide drawings of the three bodies with necessary dimensions so that they can be
replicated. Make sure that the heights of all bodies are the same and their lengths and
other details are as close as possible to what you see above. You can use spline curves
(available in SpaceClaim) to draw the last two shapes. Draw a spline first to capture the
shape roughly and then adjust its points by pulling them around. Do not forget to perform
steps similar to Step 1e - 1h of Tutorial 2.

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Ans:
The dimensions of the three bodies A, B, and C are shown in figure below respectively. The
maximum height of all bodies is the same and is equal to 0.5 m. The lengths of bodies A and B
are 1 m and 1.6 m respectively whereas the chord length of body C is 2 m.

Figure 4: Geometry of rectangle body (A)

Figure 5 : Geometry of bullet shaped body (B)

Figure 6 : Geometry of streamlined body (C)

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b) Provide the drawings and dimensions of the outer artificial boxes that you use to create
the fluid domains. Note that they do not need to be circular. They can be rectangular for
example. Note that you can divide the problem domain into parts to control and ease the
meshing process. Provide details if you do so.
Ans:
A circular fluid domain (outer artificial box), having a diameter of 30 m, is made for all bodies
(A, B, and C).

Figure 7 : Geometry of fluid domain for body A

Figure 8 : Geometry of fluid domain for body B

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 Figure 9 : Geometry of fluid domain for body C

c) Provide the boundary conditions that you use.

Ans:
A fluid is chosen with specific properties:
Density (𝜌) of 3 kg/m³ and,Dynamic viscosity (𝜇) of 1.5 Pa·s.
Utilizing the given operating Reynolds number (Re) of 100, the inlet velocity (U) is determined
using the equation 𝑅𝑒 = ρ𝑈𝐷 / μ, resulting in a calculated value of 50 m/s.
For the Fluent simulation, the boundary conditions are specified as follows: i. Inlet: The
boundary condition at the inlet is set to "velocity-inlet," with the x-component of velocity fixed
at 50 m/s and the y-component at 0. ii. Outlet: The outlet boundary condition is defined as
"pressure-outlet," with the outlet pressure set to 0 Pa, representing the gauge pressure. iii. Walls:
The upper and lower sections of the body are assigned "wall" boundaries. Both sections are set to
a stationary state, indicating no motion, and a no-slip shear condition is applied to these walls.

13
 Figure 10: Different Boundaries of problem domain for body B

d) Provide mesh figures and the number of elements you created for each case. Provide
zoomed in figures to show details, if necessary. Try to create structured meshes as much as
possible. Make sure that you have enough elements close to the bodies to capture the
boundary layer and separation details.
Ans:

14
Figure 11: Mesh of fluid domain for Body A

No of Element number:15328

15
Figure 12: Zoomed in view of figure 8 (focusing on boundary of Body A)

The average skewness value of the elements is 0.11542 which is within the acceptable range.

Figure 13: Mesh elements skewness of fluid domain for Body A

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Figure 14: Mesh of fluid domain for Body B

No. of Elements: 18368

17
Figure 15: Zoomed in view of figure 11 (focusing on boundary of Body B)

Figure 16: Mesh elements skewness of fluid domain for Body B

The average skewness value of the elements is 0.12738 which is within the acceptable range.

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Figure 17: Mesh of fluid domain for Body C

No. of Elements: 19680

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Figure 18: Zoomed in view of figure 14 (focusing on boundary of Body C)

The average skewness value of the elements is 0.14045 which is within the acceptable range.

Figure 19: Mesh elements skewness of fluid domain for Body C

e) Provide couple of post-processing figures for each case and discuss them briefly.
Ans:

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Figure 20: Velocity contour for Rectangular body

As the fluid flows over the surface of the rectangle, its velocity progressively rises to a maximum
speed of 5.99*102 m/s. It's important to note that the fluid entering the system has a uniform
speed of 50 m/s. When observing the flow pattern, we can clearly identify a stagnation point
located at coordinates (-1, 0) in front of the rectangular body. This stagnation point appears as a
distinct blue spot, indicating that the fluid velocity is momentarily reduced to zero. Moving away
from the stagnation point, we encounter the wake region characterized by slowly rotating fluid.
This rotating fluid is also visualized in a shade of blue. Surrounding the entire circumference of
the rectangular body, we observe a blue coloration, which arises due to the no-slip condition. The
no-slip condition refers to the fact that the fluid in direct contact with the solid surface of the
rectangular body adheres to it and exhibits zero velocity relative to the rectangle's surface.

21
Figure 21: Pressure contour for Rectangular body

From the plot of pressure contour, the maximum pressure is at the front of the rectangular body.
The value of maximum pressure is 4.08*103 pa. The minimum pressure is seen at the corners of
the rectangle. The maximum pressure point is at coordinate (-1,0). As the flow past over the
corner of the body, a favorable pressure gradient occurs.

For a bullet shaped body,

Figure 22: Velocity contour for a bullet shaped body

22
Let's take a closer look at the area around the bullet shaped body to examine the fluid dynamics
in more detail. As the fluid flows over the body, its speed gradually increases, reaching a
maximum velocity of 6.11*102 m/s. It's important to remember that the fluid entering the system
has a constant speed of 50 m/s. One noticeable feature is the stagnation point located at (-1, 0) in
front of the bullet shaped body, which is clearly identifiable as a blue spot. At this point, the fluid
velocity drops to zero momentarily, indicating a region of minimal movement. Moving away
from the stagnation point, we observe the wake region, where the fluid rotates slowly. This
rotating fluid is also visualized in a shade of blue. Additionally, the entire circumference of the
body appears blue due to the no-slip condition. Also, by observing the bullet shaped body and
rectangular body, the flow seems to be more streamlined in case of bullet shaped body.

Figure 23: Pressure contour for a bullet shaped body

From the plot of pressure contour, the maximum pressure is at the front of the bullet shaped
body. The value of maximum pressure is 4.23*103 pa. The maximum pressure point is at
coordinate (-1,0). As the flow past over the corner of the body, a favorable pressure gradient
occurs because the pressure decreases from the stagnation point to the lowest pressure shown by
blue spot region. After the lowest pressure point, surface pressure starts to increase creating an
adverse pressure gradient region.
This bullet shaped body have less maximum pressure region compared to rectangular body

23
because more fluid molecules stack up in front of rectangular body due to flat normal surface.

For a streamlined body,

Figure 24: Velocity contour for a streamlined body

Similar is the case for streamlined body. As the fluid moves over the streamlined body, its speed
increases up to 5.80*102 m/s (remember, inlet speed was 1 m/s). We can see a blue spot in front
of the body called the stagnation point, where the fluid momentarily stops moving. Behind the
body, there's an area called the wake region, where the fluid rotates slowly and appears blue. The
whole area around the streamlined body looks blue because the fluid sticks to the body's surface
and doesn't slide past it. The fluid flows are more streamlined compared to two different bodies.

24
Figure 25: Pressure contour for a streamlined body

From the plot of pressure contour, the maximum pressure is at the front of the streamlined body.
The value of maximum pressure is 4.30*103 pa. The maximum pressure point is at coordinate (-
2,0). As the flow past over the corner of the body, a favorable pressure gradient occurs because
the pressure decreases from the stagnation point to the lowest pressure shown by blue spot
region. After the lowest pressure point, surface pressure starts to increase creating an adverse
pressure gradient region.
This streamlined body have less maximum pressure region compared to rectangular body and a
bullet shaped because more fluid molecules stack up in front of stagnation point.

f) Determine the 𝐶𝐷 value for each body. Compare and discuss.

Ans:

Table 1: CD value of different bodies

Differently shaped bodies CD values for different bodies

Rectangular shaped body 1.546356
Bullet shaped body 1.12181

25
 Streamlined body 0.72455281

Streamlined bodies have lower drag coefficients (CD) compared to other bodies because of their
smooth and elongated shape, which enables fluid to flow more smoothly around them. This
results in a more favorable pressure distribution along the body's surface, leading to reduced
drag. On the other hand, rectangular bodies have a flat front surface that causes flow stagnation
and sharp corners that induce flow separation, leading to boundary layer detachment and reduced
flow attachment to the surface. These factors increase friction and pressure drag, resulting in
higher drag coefficients.
As a consequence, streamlined bodies exhibit a minimum drag coefficient of 0.72455281, while
rectangular bodies have a maximum drag coefficient of 1.546356. The bullet-shaped body falls
in between these two values because it combines a streamlined shape at the front and a more
rectangular shape at the back.
g) Evaluate the drag force acting on each body and provide screenshots of the Console Tab
showing viscous drag, pressure drag and total drag values. Provide a table showing the
values for all bodies. Compare and discuss.
Solution
For Rectangular body

Figure 26: Screenshot of Console tab for drag values of streamlined body

For bullet shaped body

Figure 27: Screenshot of Console tab for drag values of rectangular body

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For streamlined body

Figure 28: Screenshot of Console tab for drag values of bullet shaped body

The drag force acting on streamlined body, bullet shaped body and rectangular body are
2899.4175 N, 4206.7874 N and 2717.0707 N respectively.

Table 2: Different types of drag in different shapes

Different shapes Pressure force (N) Viscous force (N) Total force (N)
Streamlined body 2175.5394 723.87808 2899.4175
Bullet shaped body 2683.8468 1552.9406 4206.7874
Rectangular body 1147.8945 1569.1762 2717.0707

Boundary layer separation significantly impacts both viscous drag and pressure drag. Skin-
friction drag arises from the inherent viscosity of the fluid, where it adheres to the body's surface,
and frictional shear stress causes drag. Additionally, pressure drag occurs due to boundary layer
separation from the surface. When the boundary layer separates, the pressure difference between
upstream and downstream of the body induces drag. Consequently, the magnitude of pressure
drag depends on the point of boundary layer separation. The total drag experienced by the body
is the sum of viscous drag and pressure drag.
For streamlined bodies, viscous force plays a dominant role, making a laminar boundary layer
preferable. Laminar flow reduces skin-friction drag by lowering shear stress at the wall.
Moreover, streamlined bodies maintain an attached boundary layer along the wall for a longer
distance, leading to lower pressure drag.
In contrast, for rectangular bodies, pressure drag dominates, making a turbulent boundary layer
more favorable. Turbulent flow delays boundary layer separation, reducing pressure drag but
increasing drag due to higher shear stresses at the wall.
Bullet-shaped bodies combine characteristics of both streamlined and rectangular bodies,
resulting in a more balanced distribution of pressure force and drag force.
h) Is the C𝐷 ratio between the objects also hold for the total drag force? Discuss.
Solution

27
yes, the CD ratio between the objects also hold for the total drag force. The total drag is given by
the equation mentioned below:
𝟏
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 = 𝟐 ∗ ρ ∗ V 2 ∗ S ∗CD

Here, the density (ρ), reference area(S) and velocity(V) for different bodies in fluid domain are
same. So, while taking ratio, they cancel out as shown:
For body 1 and body 2,
1
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 1 ∗ρ ∗𝑉 2 ∗𝑆1 ∗𝐶𝐷1
2 1 1
= 1
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 2 ∗ρ ∗𝑉 2 ∗𝑆2 ∗𝐶𝐷2
2 2 2

Since ρ1 =ρ2 , 𝑉1 = 𝑉2 , 𝑆1 = 𝑆2

(𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒)1 𝐶

∵(𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒)2 = 𝐶𝐷1
𝐷2

Therefore, the CD ratio between the objects also hold for the total drag force.

CONCLUSION
In a nutshell, we set out to achieve several objectives related to the flow characteristics around a
cylinder, the impact of streamlining on drag reduction with different geometries, the influence of
mesh elements on solution accuracy, and the analysis of various factors such as boundary layers,
boundary layer separation, body streamlining, and drag forces. We have successfully
accomplished these objectives and gained valuable insights into the complex phenomena
associated with fluid flow.
Firstly, we conducted a thorough investigation of 2D flow around a cylinder under both steady
and transient conditions. Our analysis revealed intricate flow patterns and shed light on the
transient behavior of the fluid around the cylinder. This knowledge is vital for understanding and
predicting fluid behavior in practical engineering applications.
Secondly, we studied the effects of streamlining on drag reduction, considering various
geometries. Our findings demonstrated that streamlining plays a crucial role in reducing drag
forces, leading to improved efficiency and performance. These insights can be applied in
designing more aerodynamic structures to enhance the overall efficiency of fluid systems.
Thirdly, we explored the dependence of solution accuracy on the number of mesh elements used
in defining the problem. By varying the mesh resolution, we established the importance of mesh
independence in achieving reliable and accurate simulation results. This understanding is
essential in obtaining precise numerical solutions for complex flow problems.

28
Lastly, our investigation into boundary layers, boundary layer separation, body streamlining, and
drag forces provided a comprehensive understanding of the underlying physics governing fluid
flow around bodies. These insights contribute to the development of innovative techniques for
drag reduction and improved design of streamlined bodies.
2D flow around a circular cylinder was visualized under steady and transient conditions. For the
same 2D cylinder flow problem, mesh independence study was carried out by varying the
number of mesh elements and it was found that after 20000 mesh the value of CD did not change
significantly on further increasing the mesh resolution. Drag coefficients were calculated for
three different bodies under certain fluid flow parameters and properties (which is same for each
body). The drag coefficient obtained for the streamlined body (C) was minimum compared to the
bodies A (rectangular body) and B (bullet shaped body).

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[2] M. Daneshi, “Numerical Investigation of the Fluid Flow around and Past a Circular
Cylinder by Ansys Simulation,” International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology,
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[3] B.N. Rajani, A. Kandasamy, S. Majumdar, “Numerical simulation of laminar flow past a
circular cylinder”, Applied Mathematical Modeling, vol. 33, pp. 1228 – 1247, 2009.
[4] S. Sen, S. Mittal, G. Biswas, “Steady separated flow past a circular cylinder at low Reynolds
numbers”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 620, pp. 89 -119, 2009.
[5] A.L.F. Lima E Silva, A. Silveira-Neto, J.J.R. Damasceno, “Numerical simulation of two-
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***

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