Vortex Shedding Control Using Jets: A Computational Study With Lattice Boltzmann Method

The use of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) for fluid-flow simulation has been the subject of several recent studies where it was reported that the method offers many advantages such as high accuracy coupled with computational efficiency. In this paper, we report on the use of this method, in conjunction with Large-Eddy Simulations, to study an interesting phenomenon related to the suppression of vortex shedding from circular cylinders. Specifically, it has been observed in experiments that vortex shedding from a cylinder can be drastically reduced by the injection of a fluid jet into the approach flow. We first present results for a cylinder without jet injection in order to quantify the suitability of the LBM for use in such flows. Thereafter, we present results for the case with jet injection where we consider the case where Re = 55,440. Preliminary results conclusively demonstrate that the presence of jet injection does indeed lead to substantial reduction in the magnitude of lift forces on the cylinder. This strongly argues in favor of further research to understand the dynamics of this phenomenon, and the range of parameters needed to maximize its beneficial effects.