3D Visualization of the Separated Fluid Flows

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gushchin, V.A. | Kostomarov, A.V. | Matyushin, P.V.

Affiliations: Institute for Computer Aided Design Russian Academy of Sciences (ICAD RAS) 19/18, 2nd Brestskaya str., 123056 Moscow, Russia

Abstract: For the detailed investigation of the 3D unsteady incompressible viscous separated fluid flows around a sphere (for 200 ≤ Re ≤ 700) and a circular cylinder (for 200 ≤ Re ≤ 400) the direct numerical simulation and 3D visualization are used. For 3D visualization of the fluid flows around a sphere the definition of vortex core as a connected region containing two negative eigenvalues of the S^2 + Ω^2 tensor is used (where S_{i,j} and Ω_{i,j} are the rate of strain and the rate of rotation tensors). The formation mechanism of vortices in the sphere wake for Re = 500 is described in detail. For 3D visualization of the fluid flows around a circular cylinder the 3D isosurfaces of the streamwise component of vorticity ω_x are used.

Keywords: 3D Visualization, Sphere, Cylinder, Wake, Vortex structures

Journal: Journal of Visualization, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 143-150, 2004