Numerical results of mixed convective heat transfer from two identical cylinders in a uniform upward flow has been demonstrated at Re = 100. The effect of aiding and opposing buoyancy is brought about by varying Richardson numbers. A stabilized SUPG based finite element technique has been used. Results are discussed for 20 cases by varying the locations of second cylinder with respect to the fixed location of the first cylinder. The effect of buoyancy on force coefficients, Strouhal number and Nusselt number is investigated. Under the same buoyancy induced field the cylinders are found to oscillate at the same frequency. For a particular cylinder spacing, vortex shedding is observed up to Ri = 0.25. Maximum heat transfer is found at the front face of second cylinder. It is found that hydrodynamic instabilities grow and flow shows chaotic phenomena when the system is severely influenced by thermal buoyancy. It is for the first time that such behavior for the Richardson number at this tandem configuration is being reported. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.