Vortex-induced cross-flow seiching in cylinder arrays

An array of vertical cylinders in an otherwise uniform open channel flow can generate a seiche in the transverse direction due to the lift associated with vortex shedding behind each cylinder. Seiche amplitude attains a maximum at resonant conditions, i.e., when the vortex shedding frequency is close to the natural standing wave frequency. In this work we propose a model to predict maximum seiche amplitude based on the analytical solution to the linearized shallow water equations. The model prediction compares favorably with available experimental data from the literature outperforming pre-existing models. The model is also used to highlight that even small disturbances in the flow largely affect the dynamics and can dramatically reduce the wave amplitude.