Three-Dimensional Wakes of Curved Pipes

A numerical investigation into the flow past curved pipes has been performed. The first group of computations includes curved pipes for which the incoming flow vector is normal to the plane of curvature. For the second group of computations the free-stream flow vector is parallel to the plane of curvature. Different flow conditions have been applied and the corresponding results compared. The vortex shedding patterns and the wake topology are studied and the sectional forces at different locations of the span are also presented. The fully three-dimensional simulations were computed with a spectral/hp element method. The computational results were compared with visualisation experiments undertaken in the towing tank facility of the Department of Aeronautics of Imperial College.