The dynamics of vortex streets in channels

Abstract

We develop a model to numerically study the dynamics of vortex streets in channel flows. Previous work has studied the vortex wakes of specific vortex generators. Here, we study a wide range of vortex wakes including regular and reverse von Kármán streets with various strengths, geometries, and Reynolds numbers (Re) by applying a smoothed von Kármán street as an inflow condition. We find that the spatial structure of the inflow vortex street is maintained for the reverse von Kármán street and altered for the regular street. For regular streets, we identify a transition to asymmetric dynamics which happens when Re increases, or vortices are stronger, or vortex streets are compressed horizontally or extended vertically. We also determine the effects of these parameters on vortex street inversion.