NUMERICAL STUDY OF VORTEX SHEDDING FROM DIFFERENT SHAPED BLUFF-BODIES

A computer code based on the stream function-vorticity formulation of the unsteady incompressible Navier Stokes equations has been adapted t o treat turbulent flows using the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model. The code was then used to analyse the flows inside vortex flowmeters with the aim of optimizing performance. The computed Strouhal numbers compa red well with those acquired experimentally and the computed flow fiel ds indicated how the bluff body shape can influence the size and stren gth of the shed vortices, with the T-shaped cylinder producing the lar gest vortices. In addition to the primary vortices shed from the bluff body, the computations gave a clear indication of the formation of se condary vortices near the meter wall and the front face of the bluff b ody.