Numerical Study of Vortex Shedding from Different Shaped Bluff Bodies

 A computer code based on the stream function-vorticity formulation of the unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations has been adapted to treat turbulent flows using the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model. The code was then used to analyze the flow inside vortex flow meters with the aim of optimizing performance. The computed Strouhal numbers compared well with those acquired experimentally and the computed flow fields indicated how the bluff body shape could influence the size and strength of the shed vortices, with T-shaped cylinder producing the largest vortices. In addition to the primary vortices shed from bluff body, the computations gave a clear indication of the formation of secondary vortices near the meter wall and the front face of the bluff body.