Vortex shedding over a rectangular cylinder with ground effect: Flow and heat transfer characteristics

The vortex shedding from a rectangular cylinder improves the heat transfer rates. Introducing a ground effect in such a flow system alters the shedding frequency, which in turn enables to vary the cooling rates of the cylinder. In the present study a laminar flow passing over a rectangular cylinder with a ground effect is considered. The flow and energy equations are solved numerically using a control volume approach. Strouhal and Stanton number variations due to gap height are computed and the influence of Strouhal number on Stanton number variation behind the cylinder is examined. The study is extended to include the predictions of entropy generation in the solution domain. It is found that shedding frequency increases as gap height reduces and further reduction in gap height results in diminishing of vortex shedding, in which case confined flow is developed in the gap. Heat transfer rates improve when Strouhal number is maximum. In the case of confined flow situation, heat transfer rates enhance substantially in the region close to the top corner of the cylinder, in which case, non-uniform cooling of the surface is resulted.