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• Unsteady wake dynamics past a blunt headed cylinder at incidence is studied. • Determined critical Reynolds number (Re) based on primary stability analysis. • Identification of various flow regimes during vortex shedding. • Evaluation of forced convective heat transfer for various Re and angles of incidence. • Entropy generation optimization at different Re and angles of incidence. In the present paper, a numerical investigation has been carried out to study the forced convective flow and heat transfer characteristics past a blunt-headed cylinder in crossflow. Employing air as an operating fluid, calculations are carried out for a range of Reynolds number (Re) from 40 to 160. The angle of incidence is varied in the range of 0∘ ≤ α ≤ 180 ∘. The thermofluid features of flow and heat transport are analysed in detail for different angles of incidence. To analyse the aerodynamic characteristics, several parameters such as drag and lift coefficients, moment coefficient, Strouhal number, recirculation length, and local time-averaged vorticity flux have been calculated. Furthermore, a stability analysis has been undertaken by using the Stuart Landau equation to enumerate the critical Reynolds number at each angle of incidence. Heat transfer characteristics are studied by computing local and time-averaged values of Nusselt numbers. When compared to a rectangular cylinder, a blunt-headed cylinder exhibits an enhanced heat transfer rate. In the end, an entropy generation analysis has been carried out to study the effects of Re and angle of incidence on the efficiency of thermofluid transport characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]