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The effect of porosity on the drag of cylinders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2020

K. Steiros Open the ORCID record for K. Steiros [Opens in a new window] ,
K. Kokmanian Open the ORCID record for K. Kokmanian [Opens in a new window] ,
N. Bempedelis Open the ORCID record for N. Bempedelis [Opens in a new window]  and
M. Hultmark
K. Steiros*
Affiliation:
Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, UK Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544, USA
K. Kokmanian
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544, USA
N. Bempedelis
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, LondonWC1E 7JE, UK
M. Hultmark
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: k.steiros13@imperial.ac.uk
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Abstract

It is well known that perforation of a flat plate reduces its drag when exposed to a flow. However, studies have shown an opposite effect in the case of cylinders. Such a counterintuitive result can have significant consequences on the momentum modelling often used for wind turbine performance predictions, where increased porosity is intrinsically linked to lower drag. Here, a study of the drag of various types of porous cylinders, bars and plates under steady laminar inflow is presented. It is shown that, for most cases, the drag decreases with increased porosity. Only special types of perforations can increase the drag on both cylinders and bars, either by enhancing the effect of the rear half of the models or by organizing the wake structures. These rare occurrences are not relevant to wind turbine modelling, which indicates that current momentum models exhibit the qualitatively correct behaviour.

JFM classification

Wakes/Jets: Wakes
Type
JFM Rapids
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 901 , 25 October 2020 , R2
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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