Numerical evaluation of passive control of VIV by small control rods

• A combined FSI–CFD model is used to conduct evaluation of VIV suppression.
• Effects of rod number, diameter ratio, gap ratio and Reynolds number are discussed.
• A comprehensive evaluation is performed based on VIV suppression and the cost of inputs.
• The attachment with 9 rods with d/D = 0.15 and G/D = 0.6 can achieve a good VIV effect.

Flow past a circular cylinder with multiple small control rods is studied by numerical simulation for ReD ranging from 1161.3 to 6387.1. The Reynolds-Averaged-Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and shear stress transport (SST) k − ω turbulence model are used to calculate the vortex field, while a fourth-order Runge–Kutta method is employed for evaluating the structure dynamics of the cylinder group. Comparisons with experimental results demonstrate the validation of this method. This study is concerned with the vortex induced vibration (VIV) suppression efficacy of small control rods placed around a main cylinder. The effects of control rod number, diameter ratio, spacing ratio and Reynolds number on the hydrodynamics and vibration responses of the main cylinder are investigated. The reduced percents of in-line and cross-flow amplitudes and the increased percents of the whole cross-sectional area of cylinders and the drag coefficient are used to give a comprehensive evaluation. Results of simulation indicate that placing small rods with appropriate number at appropriate locations can achieve good suppression effectiveness at a wide range of Reynolds number. The numerical result for the case with nine control rods, diameter ratio of 0.15 and spacing ratio of 0.6 shows the best suppression effect among the cases investigated in this study.