Flow Structures and Vortex Dynamics in the Wake of Three Tandem Prisms

A study of the flow around three tandem square prisms may provide us a better understanding of complicated flow physics related to multiple closely spaced structures. In this paper, a numerical investigation on the flow around three tandem prisms at Reynolds number Re = 150 is conducted for L/W = 1.2 ∼ 10.0, where L is the prism center-to-center spacing and W is the prism width. Four distinct flow regimes and their ranges are identified, viz., single bluff-body flow (L/W < 3.0), alternating reattachment flow (3.0 < L/W < 4.3), synchronized coshedding flow (4.3 < L/W < 7.3) and desynchronized coshedding flow (7.3 < L/W ≤ 10.0). The synchronized coshedding flow can be further subdivided into two regimes: single St flow (4.3 < L/W < 5.1) and dual St flow (5.1 < L/W < 7.3). A secondary vortex street following the primary vortex street is observed for the dual St flow and the desynchronized coshedding flow. The detailed physics of the evolution of the primary vortex street to the secondary is imparted. The inherent frequency associated with the secondary vortex street is smaller than that with the primary. The evolution process of the primary vortex street to the secondary leads to a tertiary frequency. The DMD (dynamic mode decomposition) analysis for the first time is proposed as a useful and quantitative tool to identify the secondary vortex street and its onset position.