scholarly journals Effect of turbulence intensity and gradient of turbulence intensity on airfoil aerodynamic characteristics at low Reynolds number

Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Zhou Zhou ◽  
Xu Li

Based on the complex flow field of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft with distributed propulsion, the influence of the turbulence intensity and gradient of turbulence intensity on the aerodynamic characteristics of two-dimensional airfoil under low Reynolds number was studied by solving the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) Equation based on the c-type structural mesh and γ-Reθt transition model. The aerodynamic characteristics of NACA0012 airfoil at different turbulence intensities and Reynolds numbers are simulated and compared with the experimental data, which verifies the reliability of the low Reynolds number calculation method. Meanwhile, the effects of the different low Reynolds number and gradient of turbulence intensity on the aero-dynamic characteristics of airfoil are studied, and the effect mechanism of the turbulence on the flow field around airfoil is analyzed. It shows that the flow characteristics of the airfoil with high turbulence or Reynolds number are more stable, the separation bubble size is smaller, the flow separation is delayed, and the stall angle of attack is larger, but the effect of the two mechanisms on the earlier transition is different. The influence of the turbulence gradient on the airfoil is limited by the Reynolds number, and the flow separation, transition and reattachment of the airfoil with high turbulence gradient are advance. The generation and evolution of the laminar separation bubble are closely related to the turbulence intensity and Reynolds number, and its scale and location also affect the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil.

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015.68 (0) ◽  
pp. 167-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro MAKIZONO ◽  
Gaku SASAKI ◽  
Hiroshi OCHI ◽  
Takaaki MATSUMOTO ◽  
Koichi YONEMOTO

Author(s):  
Ishfaq Fayaz ◽  
Syeeda Needa Fathima ◽  
Y.D. Dwivedi

The computational investigation of aerodynamic characteristics and flow fields of a smooth owl-like airfoil without serrations and velvet structures.The bioinspired airfoil design is planned to serve as the main-wing for low-reynolds number aircrafts such as (MAV)micro air vechiles.The dependency of reynolds number on aerodynamics could be obtained at low reynolds numbers.The result of this experiment shows the owl-like airfoil is having high lift performance at very low speeds and in various wind conditions.One of the unique feature of owl airfoil is a separation bubble on the pressure side at low angle of attack.The separation bubble changes location from the pressure side to suction side as the AOA (angle of attack) increases. The reynolds number dependancy on the lift curve is insignificant,although there’s difference in drag curve at high angle of attacks.Eventually, we get the geometric features of the owl like airfoil to increase aerodynamic performance at low reynolds numbers.


Author(s):  
Juanmian Lei ◽  
Qingyang Liu ◽  
Tao Li

A laminar separation bubble appears generally on the NACA2415 airfoil at low Reynolds number. In this paper, suction control of the laminar separation bubble over the NACA2415 airfoil at low Reynolds number are simulated. The effects of suction control on the flow field and the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil are focused on at different angles of attack. Numerical simulations show that employing the γ-Reθt transition model coupling the k–ω shear stress transport turbulence model can predict the laminar separation bubbles accurately. The results indicate that suction control can delay the transition, decrease the velocity gradient of the boundary layer and inhibit the production of the separation bubble. The effect of the suction control becomes better with the suction location getting closer to the separation bubble and the suction speed (the suction gas speed of suction hole) getting faster. The figure of merit is introduced to evaluate energy consumption of the suction control. In consideration of the economic effects, the suction control is suitable for the larger angle of attack situation at low Reynolds number.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Matsunuma ◽  
Yasukata Tsutsui

The unsteady flow field downstream of axial-flow turbine rotors at low Reynolds numbers was investigated experimentally using hot-wire probes. Reynolds number, based on rotor exit velocity and rotor chord lengthReout,RT, was varied from3.2×104to12.8×104at intervals of1.0×104by changing the flow velocity of the wind tunnel. The time-averaged and time-dependent distributions of velocity and turbulence intensity were analyzed to determine the effect of Reynolds number. The reduction of Reynolds number had a marked influence on the turbine flow field. The regions of high turbulence intensity due to the wake and the secondary vortices were increased dramatically with the decreasing Reynolds number. The periodic fluctuation of the flow due to rotor-stator interaction also increased with the decreasing Reynolds number. The energy-dissipation thickness of the rotor midspan wake at the low Reynolds numberReout,RT=3.2×104was1.5times larger than that at the high Reynolds numberReout,RT=12.8×104. The curve of the−0.2power of the Reynolds number agreed with the measured energy-dissipation thickness at higher Reynolds numbers. However, the curve of the−0.4power law fitted more closely than the curve of the−0.2power law at lower Reynolds numbers below6.4×104.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Zhou Zhou ◽  
Kelei Wang ◽  
Xu Li

A numerical study was conducted on the influence of turbulence intensity and Reynolds number on the mean topology and transition characteristics of flow separation to provide better understanding of the unsteady jet flow of turboelectric distributed propulsion (TeDP) aircraft. By solving unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equation based on C-type structural mesh and γ - Re ˜ θ t transition model, the aerodynamic characteristics of the NACA0012 airfoil at different turbulence intensities was calculated and compared with the experimental results, which verifies the reliability of the numerical method. Then, the effects of varied low Reynolds numbers and turbulence intensities on the aerodynamic performance of NACA0012 and SD7037 were investigated. The results show that higher turbulence intensity or Reynolds number leads to more stable airfoil aerodynamic performance, larger stalling angle, and earlier transition with a different mechanism. The generation and evolution of the laminar separation bubble (LSB) are closely related to Reynolds number, and it would change the effective shape of the airfoil, having a big influence on the airfoil’s aerodynamic characteristics. Compared with the symmetrical airfoil, the low-Reynolds-number airfoil can delay the occurrence of flow separation and produce more lift in the same conditions, which provides guidance for further airfoil design under TeDP jet flow.


CFD Letters ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 36-51
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ibren ◽  
Amelda Dianne Andan ◽  
Waqar Asrar ◽  
Erwin Sulaeman

The development of sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles and wind turbines for daily activities has triggered the interest of researchers. However, understanding the flow phenomena is a strenuous task due to the complexity of the flow field. The engaging topic calls for more research at low Reynolds numbers. The computational investigations on a two-dimensional (2D) airfoil are presented in this paper. Numerical simulation of unsteady, laminar-turbulent flow around NACA 0015 airfoil was performed by using shear-stress transport (SST) model at relatively low Reynolds number (8.4 × 104 to 1.7 × 105) and moderate angles of attack (0 ≤ α ≤ 6). In general, on the suction side, with increasing Reynolds number and angles of attack, separation, and reattachment point shifts upstream and concurrently shrinking the size of the laminar bubble. However, On the pressure side, the laminar bubble is seen to move toward the trailing edge at the relatively same size as the angle of attack increases. Moreover, the variations in the angle of attack have more influence on the laminar separation bubble characteristics as compared to the Reynolds number. The reattachment points were barely observed for the range of the angles of attack studied. At very high angles of attack, it is recommended to simulate the flow field using large eddy simulation or direct numerical simulation since the flow is considered three-dimensional and detached from the surface thus forming a complex phenomenon.


2013 ◽  
Vol 390 ◽  
pp. 141-146
Author(s):  
Yu Fu Wang ◽  
Guo Quan Tao ◽  
Ze Hai Wang ◽  
Zhe Wu

In this paper, a low Reynolds number airfoil (S1223) is the objective of the study. The Navier-Stokes equations were established to simulate the complex flow around a low Reynolds number airfoil, in which the turbulence model was used. The complex flow around the airfoil was simulated at 2x105 Reynolds number and its aerodynamic characteristics were analyzed. The relationship among lift coefficient, drag coefficient and angle of attack was studied.


Author(s):  
Hauke Ehlers ◽  
Robert Konrath ◽  
Marcel Börner ◽  
Ralf Wokoeck ◽  
Rolf Radespiel

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