Surface flow pattern and local mass transfer on the free-end surface of a finite circular cylinder

Abstract

Relation between the surface flow pattern and the local mass transfer characteristic on the free end surface of a finite circular cylinder mounted on a flat plate was investigated using the oil surface flow visualization and the naphthalene sublimation technique. The aspect ratio [the ratio of the cylinder length to the cylinder diameter (HID)] was 1.25 and the Reynolds number based on the diameter was 1.48 X 10(5). Several kinds of critical points on the free-end surface were identified by the visualization and the mass transfer measurement around those critical points through the naphthalene sublimation technique was then performed to investigate the relation between the flow and mass transfer. The free-end surface flow was topologically characterized by the presence of a saddle point and two focal points in the fore-half portion of the surface and two nodes and a saddle point in the rear-half portion. It was found that the rate of mass transfer was largest in the vicinity of the nodes in the rear-half of the free-end surface.