A numerical hydrodynamic study of the influence of prolate and prolate 45° ellipsoids on laminar flow

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of two tandem configurations of ellipsoids on laminar flow using numerical methods. The first configuration features an ellipsoid in a prolate orientation, while the other employs a prolate ellipsoid tilted at a 45° angle relative to the vertical axis. The study investigates inter-ellipsoid distances ranging from one ellipsoid diameter (1D) to eight diameters (8D) from the ellipsoids' centers and different Reynolds numbers (100, 200, 300, and 400). The presented results focus on hydrodynamic forces, wake symmetry, and wake patterns for different scenarios. The findings reveal that when an angle is present in the ellipsoid, the drag forces between the front and rear ellipsoids tend to approach at smaller separations compared to the prolate orientation case. In these cases, flow separation is asymmetric in the x–y plane but becomes symmetric in the x–z plane at larger ellipsoid spacings. Additionally, the detachment zones are analyzed concerning the angle and Reynolds number. It is observed that up to a distance of approximately 4D, the wake of the front ellipsoid significantly influences the recirculation and hydrodynamics of the rear ellipsoid.