Numerical simulation of flow past a curved cylinder in uniform and logarithmic flow

Abstract

This research presents a computational fluid dynamics study for simulating a curved cylinder in ocean currents. A rigid curved cylindrical geometry with two bending directions was modelled in uniform and logarithmic flow profiles at a maximum Reynolds number of 1.5 × 10⁵; the Realizable k–epsilon formulation is used as the turbulence closure model. An analysis of force coefficients and vortex structure are presented. The results show that a curved cylindrical structure will have different hydrodynamic behaviour depending on the oncoming flow direction. Bending the cylinder in a direction which is opposite to the predominant flow direction is recommended, as the maximum forcing amplitude is reduced in this case.

Keywords:

• marine riser
• curved cylinder
• logarithmic flow
• vortex shedding

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.