On the low-Rossby-number flow of a rotating fluid past a circular cylinder

The flow past a cylinder in a rapidly rotating frame is described when the Rossby number Ro is O(E½), where E is the Ekman number. Previous studies of the configuration have noticed the development of a singularity within the E¼ layer at the rear stagnation point once the ratio Ro/E½ is larger than a critical value, and concluded that the boundary-layer flow is unsteady. In this paper a description of a steady boundary-layer flow for this parameter range is presented, showing the development of flow separation as Ro/E½ approaches a larger critical value. Details of the flow once the E½ layer has separated from the cylinder are also described.