Effect of channel confinement on wake dynamics and forced convective heat transfer past a blunt headed cylinder

In this paper, a two-dimensional numerical simulation is carried out to understand the effect of confinement (blockage ratio β) on fluid flow and forced convective heat transfer characteristics past a blunt headed cylinder. Utilizing air as an operating fluid, flow simulations are carried out for wide ranges of blockage ratios (110≤β≤13) and Reynolds numbers (60≤Re≤200). The flow characteristics and heat transport are analysed critically for different β. The functional dependence of CD (Drag Coefficient) and CL (Lift Coefficient) on blockage ratio is examined. It has been found that CD reduces with increasing Re, while the Strouhal number and the average Nusselt number show an increasing trend when the blockage ratio is increased. The average Nusselt number also increases with increasing Re.