Numerical studies of slow viscous rotating flow past a sphere. III

The flow of steady incompressible viscous fluid rotating about the z‐axis with angular velocity ω and moving with velocity u past a sphere of radius a which is kept fixed at the origin is investigated by means of a numerical method for small values of the Reynolds number Reω. The Navier–Stokes equations governing the axisymmetric flow can be written as three coupled non‐linear partial differential equations for the streamfunction, vorticity and rotational velocity component. Central differences are applied to the partial differential equations for solution by the Peaceman–Rachford ADI method, and the resulting algebraic equations are solved by the ‘method of sweeps’. The results obtained by solving the non‐linear partial differential equations are compared with the results obtained by linearizing the equations for very small values of Reω. Streamlines are plotted for Ψ = 0·05, 0·2, 0·5 for both linear and non‐linear cases. The magnitude of the vorticity vector near the body, i.e. at z = 0·2, is plotted for Reω = 0·05, 0·24, 0·5. The correction to the Stokes drag as a result of rotation of the fluid is calculated. Copyright © 1989 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd