Recirculation regions in wakes with base bleed

Abstract

The appearance of detached recirculation regions in wakes with base bleed determines the aerodynamic properties of many natural organisms and technological applications. In this work we introduce an analytical model which captures certain key dimensions of the recirculation region in the wake of porous plates of infinite aspect ratio, along with the porosity range over which it exists when vortex shedding is absent or suppressed. The model is used to interpret why the recirculation region (i) emerges, (ii) migrates away from the body with increasing base bleed, (iii) disappears at a critical bleed, and (iv) is partially insensitive to variations in the Reynolds number. The model predictions show considerable agreement with data from laboratory experiments and numerical simulations.