Numerical Study of Cross-Flow Around Multiple Plates on a Screen

The possibility of using the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations to describe asymmetric flow regimes past rows of flat plates on a screen is studied. The k–ω and shear stress transport (SST) turbulence models are used. Two-dimensional calculation methods predict the occurrence of two asymmetric flow regimes past a cascade of plates for sufficiently dense cascades. However, the boundary value of the cascade density, which separates symmetric and asymmetric flow regimes, takes different values for different turbulence models. Three-dimensional calculations of the flow past four plates mounted on a screen showed that the effective density can serve as the parameter determining the flow regime (symmetric or asymmetric). The sizes and shapes of the recirculation zones were determined using the k–ω turbulence model. They are close to the sizes and shapes of the recirculation zones observed in the experiment. Another turbulence model, SST, does not predict an asymmetric flow regime. Calculations showed an unsteady flow regime exists at a large plate height-to-width ratio. This regime is characterized by periodic oscillations of the forces acting on the plates.