numericalsolutionofflowaroundacircularcylinderusing.docVIP

Numerical Solution of Flow Around a Circular Cylinder Using the Finite Difference Method Diana Tossounian 12/9/99 Numerical Analysis for Engineering Fall 1999 Table of Contents List of Symbols Introduction Problem Description and Formulation Numerical Approach Results Error Analysis Discussion Conclusion References Appendix  List of Symbols ( stream function ( potential function ( theta x, y Cartesian coordinates r,( Polar coordinates w complex potential z complex variable U uniform flow a cylinder radius r polar distance from cylinder center u x-component of fluid velocity v y-component of fluid velocity (( Laplacian operator of (, or del squared of (  Introduction The purpose of my project is to use numerical methods to compute the streamlines around a circular cylinder for incompressible, inviscid, irrotational, two-dimensional flow. Streamlines are quantitatively labeled by a constant stream function to specify its position within the flow stream. The stream function is the mass flux per unit time across any stationary line in the fluid. Therefore, streamlines are simply lines along which the stream function is constant. Fundamentally, the streamline patterns around a circular cylinder can be described by the superposition of uniform flow with a doublet. The streamlines are close together at regions of high velocity. By application of Bernoulli’s theorem between streamlines, this results in a decrease in pressure. The streamline pattern is useful in the study of fluid flow since it gives an ideal picture of the variation of pressure and velocity around an object. Laplace’s equation in fluid dynamics describes incompressible, inviscid, irrotational, two-dimensional fluid motion through the stream function. In order to solve for the stream function numerically, a grid with mesh points will be drawn around the cylinder. The finite difference method in polar coordinates then wil