Experimental Investigations Into Mixed Convection About a Horizontal Cylinder: Part B — Fluid Dynamics Using Particle Image Velocimetry

The second of two papers investigating mixed convection about a cylinder in the buoyancy opposing cross flow regime. The experimental configuration is essentially the same as that used in part A, [1]. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to measure the fluid flow at Reynolds numbers in the range of 32 to 89 and Rayleigh numbers of 1.7E+04 and 2.4E+04. Fluid flow results are shown in the form of instantaneous vector plots with corresponding flow visualisation images, streamline plots and velocity vector plots. The presence of the opposing flow created an unsteady flow field about the cylinder at lower Reynolds numbers while increasing the Reynolds number resulted in the development of a steady flow field tending towards that of a forced convection flow. An increase in Rayleigh number led to an increase the instability of the flow field. The velocity field results were found to compliment the heat transfer investigation detailed in part A, [1].