Schlieren investigation of the square cylinder wake: Joint influence of buoyancy and orientation

The present work examines the combined influence of orientation and buoyancy on vortex shedding from a heated square cylinder with the main flow in the vertically upward direction in the aiding buoyancy configuration. The wake of the cylinder is imaged by a schlieren technique. The study investigates the effect of buoyancy, Reynolds number, and angle of incidence of square cylinder with respect to the incoming flow. The Reynolds numbers based on the cylinder edge have been set equal to 56, 87, and 100. Eight different orientations (⁠$θ=0°$⁠, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 30°, 40°, and 45°) and a Richardson number range of 0.031–0.291 have been considered. Instantaneous as well as time-averaged schlieren images, velocity profiles, vortex formation length, Strouhal number, and power spectra are reported. Results show that there is no vortex shedding at $Re=56$ for the zero angle of incidence. Vortex shedding is initiated at this Reynolds number for a higher angle of incidence, indicating that cylinder orientation plays a favoring role in destabilizing the wake. For orientations other than 0° and 45°, the time-averaged wake is asymmetric. With an increase in the angle of incidence, the shear layers roll up over a shorter distance. With heating, the fluid particles in the shear layer are further accelerated and a marginal increase in Strouhal number with Richardson number is observed. As the heating level increases to a higher value, buoyancy delivers sufficient momentum into the wake, diminishes the velocity deficit, and completely eliminates vortex shedding. Suppression of vortex shedding is observed at a certain critical Richardson number that depends on Reynolds number and the angle of incidence. The approach toward complete suppression and the corresponding wake structures are of interest. The present study demonstrates that the properties of the cylinder wake are intricately related to both the heating level and its orientation relative to the incoming flow.