Acoustic and phase portrait analysis of leading-edge roughness element on laminar separation bubbles at low Reynolds number flow

Author(s):  
Hossein Jabbari ◽  
Esmaeili Ali ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Djavareshkian

Since laminar separation bubbles are neutrally shaped on the suction side of full-span wings in low Reynolds number flows, a roughness element can be used to improve the performance of micro aerial vehicles. The purpose of this article was to investigate the leading-edge roughness element’s effect and its location on upstream of the laminar separation bubble from phase portrait point of view. Therefore, passive control might have an acoustic side effect, especially when the bubble might burst and increase noise. Consequently, the effect of the leading-edge roughness element features on the bubble’s behavior is considered on the acoustic pressure field and the vortices behind the NASA-LS0417 cross-section. The consequences express that the distribution of roughness in the appropriate dimensions and location could contribute to increasing the performance of the airfoil and the interaction of vortices produced by roughness elements with shear layers on the suction side has increased the sound frequency in the relevant sound pressure level (SPL). The results have demonstrated that vortex shedding frequency was increased in the presence of roughness compared to the smooth airfoil. Also, more complexity of the phase portrait circuits was found, retrieved from velocity gradient limitation. Likewise, the highest SPL is related to the state where the separation bubble phenomenon is on the surface versus placing roughness elements on the leading edge leads to a negative amount of SPL.

Author(s):  
M.P. Uthra ◽  
A. Daniel Antony

Most admirable and least known features of low Reynolds number flyers are their aerodynamics. Due to the advancements in low Reynolds number applications such as Micro Air vehicles (MAV), Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and wind turbines, researchers’ concentrates on Low Reynolds number aerodynamics and its effect on aerodynamic performance. The Laminar Separation Bubble (LSB) plays a deteriorating role in affecting the aerodynamic performance of the wings. The parametric study has been performed to analyse the flow around cambered, uncambered wings with different chord and Reynolds number in order to understand the better flow characteristics, LSB and three dimensional flow structures. The computational results are compared with experimental results to show the exact location of LSB. The presence of LSB in all cases is evident and it also affects the aerodynamic characteristics of the wing. There is a strong formation of vortex in the suction side of the wing which impacts the LSB and transition. The vortex structures impact on the LSB is more and it also increases the strength of the LSB throughout the span wise direction.


Author(s):  
Hossein Jabbari ◽  
Mohammad Hassan Djavareshkian ◽  
Ali Esmaeili

Although the tubercle wings provide good maneuverability at post-stall conditions, the aerodynamic performance at pre-stall angles is threatened by forming a laminar separation bubble at the trough section of the tubercle wing; consequently, the flight endurance and range are reduced. In the present study, the idea of passive flow control is introduced by using the distribution of static roughness elements on a full-span wing with a sinusoidal leading edge. Initially, the effect of roughness element length, height, and its location are studied at a pre-stall angle (16-degree). Their effect on the laminar separation bubble and vortex shedding formed behind the wing are also investigated. The Reynolds number is assumed to be equal to [Formula: see text] which is in the range of critical Reynolds number and matches to the micro aerial vehicles application. An improved hybrid model, improved delay detached eddy simulation IDDES, has been used to model the flow turbulence structure. In the extended transition region at low Reynolds numbers, the roughness bypassed the instability. Consequently, roughening the surface of the aerofoil increased the boundary layer’s flow momentum, making it more resistible to adverse pressure gradients. By suppressing the bubble, the static roughness element led to pre-stall flow control, which saw an increase in lift coefficient, [Formula: see text], and a decrease in drag coefficient, [Formula: see text]. The results have been demonstrated that the aerodynamic performance, [Formula: see text], has been improved approximately 22.7%, 38%, and 45% for [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], respectively. The optimal arrangement of static roughness elements could decline the size of the vortices and strengthen the cores associated with them. This claim can be interpreted with the vortex shedding frequency.


Author(s):  
Ju Hyun Im ◽  
Ju Hyun Shin ◽  
Garth V. Hobson ◽  
Seung Jin Song ◽  
Knox T. Millsaps

An experimental investigation has been conducted to characterize the influence of leading edge roughness and Reynolds number on compressor cascade profile loss. Tests have been conducted in a low-speed linear compressor cascade at Reynolds numbers between 210,000 and 640,000. Blade loading and loss have been measured with pressure taps and pneumatic probes. In addition, a two-component laser-doppler velocimeter (LDV) has been used to measure the boundary layer velocity profiles and turbulence levels at various chordwise locations near the blade suction surface. The “smooth” blade has a centerline-averaged roughness (Ra) of 0.62 μm. The “rough” blade is roughened by covering the leading edge of the “smooth” blade, including 2% of the pressure side and 2% of the suction side, with a 100 μm-thick tape with a roughness Ra of 4.97 μm. At Reynolds numbers ranging from 210,000 to 380,000, the leading edge roughness decreases loss slightly. At Reynolds number of 210,000, the leading edge roughness reduces the size of the suction side laminar separation bubble and turbulence level in the turbulent boundary layer after reattachment. Thus, the leading edge roughness reduces displacement and momentum thicknesses as well as profile loss at Reynolds number of 210,000. However, the same leading edge roughness increases loss significantly for Re = 450,000 ∼ 640,000. At Reynolds number of 640,000, the leading edge roughness decreases the magnitude of the favorable pressure gradient for axial chordwise locations less than 0.41 and induces turbulent separation for axial chordwise locations greater than 0.63, drastically increasing loss. Thus, roughness limited to the leading edge still has a profound effect on the compressor flow field.


Author(s):  
Roberto Pacciani ◽  
Ennio Spano

A quasi-three-dimensional, blade-to-blade, time-accurate, viscous solver has been used to study the effects of blade surface roughness elements, and incoming bar wakes on blade loading and losses of modern LP blade cascades at low Reynolds number. The T106 and VK1-T2 cascades, recently tested experimentally at the Von Karman Institute, were selected as test cases. A simplified geometrical model was adopted for the roughness element, in order to incorporate it in quasi-3D analyses using a single grid structure. Good agreement with experimental data in terms of blade loading distributions and losses was found using a low-Reynolds number formulation of Menter’s SST, k-ω model. The blade performance improvements, expected in the presence of roughness elements or incoming wakes, were correctly predicted by the calculations. The basic flow mechanisms leading to such improvements was recognized in the suction side separation reduction, which was satisfactorily reproduced in the numerical analisys.


Author(s):  
Michael J. Collison ◽  
Peter X. L. Harley ◽  
Domenico di Cugno

Low speed, small scale turbomachinery operates at low Reynolds number with transition phenomena occurring. In small consumer product applications, high efficiency and low noise are key performance metrics. Transition behaviour will partly determine the state of the boundary layer at the trailing edge; whether it is laminar, turbulent or separated impacts aerodynamic and acoustic performance. This study aimed to evaluate a commercially available CFD transition model on a low Reynolds number Eppler E387 airfoil and identify whether it was able to correctly model the boundary layer transition, and at what expense. CFD was carried out utilising the ANSYS Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω γ-Reθ transition model. The CFD progressed from 2D in Fluent v150, through to single cell thickness 3D (pseudo 2D) in CFX v172. An Eppler E387 low Reynolds number airfoil, for which experimental data was readily available from literature at Re = 200,000 was used as the validation case for the CFD, with results computed at numerous incidence angles and mesh densities. Additionally, experimental surface oil flow visualisation was undertaken in a wind tunnel using a scaled E387 airfoil for the zero incidence case at Re = 50,000. The flow visualisation exhibited the expected key features of transition in the breakdown of the boundary layer from laminar to turbulent, and was used as a validation case for the CFD transition model. The comparison between the results from the CFD transition model and the experimental data from literature suggested varying levels of agreement based on the mesh density and CFD solver in the starting location of the laminar separation bubble, with higher disparity for the position of the reattachment point. Whether 2D or 3D, the prediction accuracy was seen to worsen at high incidence angles. Finally, the location of the laminar separation bubble between CFD and oil flow visualisation had good agreement and a set of guidelines on the mesh parameters which can be applied to low Reynolds number turbomachinery simulations was determined.


2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Ziadé ◽  
Mark A. Feero ◽  
Philippe Lavoie ◽  
Pierre E. Sullivan

The shear layer development for a NACA 0025 airfoil at a low Reynolds number was investigated experimentally and numerically using large eddy simulation (LES). Two angles of attack (AOAs) were considered: 5 deg and 12 deg. Experiments and numerics confirm that two flow regimes are present. The first regime, present for an angle-of-attack of 5 deg, exhibits boundary layer reattachment with formation of a laminar separation bubble. The second regime consists of boundary layer separation without reattachment. Linear stability analysis (LSA) of mean velocity profiles is shown to provide adequate agreement between measured and computed growth rates. The stability equations exhibit significant sensitivity to variations in the base flow. This highlights that caution must be applied when experimental or computational uncertainties are present, particularly when performing comparisons. LSA suggests that the first regime is characterized by high frequency instabilities with low spatial growth, whereas the second regime experiences low frequency instabilities with more rapid growth. Spectral analysis confirms the dominance of a central frequency in the laminar separation region of the shear layer, and the importance of nonlinear interactions with harmonics in the transition process.


Author(s):  
Roberto Pacciani ◽  
Michele Marconcini ◽  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Francesco Bertini

A study of the separated flow in high-lift, low-Reynolds-number cascade, has been carried out using a novel three-equation, transition-sensitive, turbulence model. It is based on the coupling of an additional transport equation for the so-called laminar kinetic energy with the Wilcox k-ω model. Such an approach takes into account the increase of the non-turbulent fluctuations in the pre-transitional and transitional region. Two high-lift cascades (T106C and T108), recently tested at the von Ka´rma´n Institute in the framework of the European project TATMo (Turbulence and Transition Modelling for Special Turbomachinery Applications), were analyzed. The two cascades have different loading distributions and suction side diffusion rates, and therefore also different separation bubble characteristics and loss levels. The analyzed Reynolds number values span the whole range typically encountered in aeroengines low-pressure turbines operations. Several expansion ratios for steady inflow conditions characterized by different freestream turbulence intensities were considered. A detailed comparison between measurements and computations, including bubble structural characteristics, will be presented and discussed. Results with the proposed model show its ability to predict the evolution of the separated flow region, including bubble bursting phenomena, in high-lift cascades operating in LP-turbine conditions.


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