Coherent structure dynamics in spatially evolving near wake flows

Results of a study of coherent structures (CS) using numerical simulations of the transition region of a compressible, subsonic, spatially evolving wake flow behind a thick splitter plate at high Re are reported. The numerical model solves the time-dependent, gasdynamic, conservation equations using the Flux-Corrected Transport algorithm and direction- and timestep-splitting techniques. The focus is on the flow dynamics in the region of vortex formation and the near-wake. The effects of parameters of practical interest for drag control are examined in this context.