Investigation of the Dynamics of Incompressible Flow in Domains of Multiple Close-Packed Spheres

The study of flows over spherical bluff bodies is relevant in engineering systems such as nuclear power reactors. These flows exhibit complex spatial and temporal behavior due to the presence of significant streamwise curvature that leads to boundary layer separation and reattachment, and the turbulence phenomena associated with these effects. In this study, we present results for flow over one and two spheres in free-stream conditions at Reynolds number 1,000, which corresponds to a turbulent-flow regime. The goal of the study was to verify our simulation methodology and develop an initial understanding regarding the spatial and temporal effects of additional spheres in close proximity to the canonical single-sphere case. Based on our results, we find that additional spheres significantly alter the behavior of the flow. The addition of a second sphere suppresses vortex formation, while the temporal correlation between points in the wake is also reduced.