Vortex shedding in the flow around two side-by-side circular cylinders of different diameters

In this paper, the 3-D turbulent flow around two side-by-side circular cylinders of different diameters, at sub-critical Reynolds number (Re = 3900), is numerically simulated by the large eddy simulation (LES). The spacing ratios (T/D) between the two cylinders are considered in four cases (T/D = 1.2, 1.5, 1.8 and 2.7) to study the vortex shedding and turbulent properties in the flow field. The main results are focused on the drag and lift coefficients, the vortex shedding frequency, the coherent structure, and the scale properties. It is shown that when T/D is equal to 1.2, the vortex shedding of the main cylinder is strongly suppressed by the small cylinder, the drag and lift coefficients of the main cylinder are smaller than those in other three cases. While T/D is equal to 1.5, the vortex shedding of the main cylinder can be improved, the drag and lift coefficients of the main cylinder are larger than those in other three cases. The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method is applied to decompose the velocity signals traced by the LES. It is shown that there is a linear relationship between the mean period and the mode in the semi-log coordinates. The vortex shedding period of the main cylinder is consistent with the period of the restructured coherent structures quantitatively.