scholarly journals Effect of Turbulence Models in Performance Characterization of a Low Reynolds Number UAV Propeller

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 151-166
Author(s):  
Aravind SEENI

The advancement of computer technology has given the necessary impetus to perform numerical modelling and simulation in engineering. Turbulence modelling in Computational Fluid Dynamics is characterized by non-physics based modelling and there are several developments in this area that also has contributed to the growing rise in empiricism. Typically, turbulence models are chosen based on expert knowledge and experience. In this paper, the problem of selecting a turbulence closure is addressed for a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle propeller rotating at a low Reynolds number. Using scientific approaches, verification and validation of performance data against experimental results have been performed for a selected number of turbulence model candidates available in the well-known finite-volume solver Fluent. Modified bivariate plots of performance data error reveal a few numbers of strong candidates of turbulence closures for this problem. After performing a series of checks for consistency, accuracy and computational cost, the two-equation standard k-ω is selected as the preferred model for further propeller simulations.

Author(s):  
Asier Ania ◽  
Dominique Poirel ◽  
Marie-Josée Potvin ◽  
Steeve Montminy

The use of an aerial vehicle would greatly enhance the domain of exploration on Mars. The main constraint in such a design would be the extreme Martian environment. The low-density atmosphere suggests the use of a low Reynolds number flight regime modeled after flapping wing insect flight. This flapping wing flight employs several unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms; delayed stall, wake capture, and rotational mechanisms. Two prototypes, a flapping wing and a rotary-flapping wing hybrid, have been built and will be tested in order to quantify the 'overall lift' generated and allow us to evaluate the efficacy of flapping wing flight on Mars.


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 794-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Luo ◽  
B. Lakshminarayana

The boundary layer development and convective heat transfer on transonic turbine nozzle vanes are investigated using a compressible Navier–Stokes code with three low-Reynolds-number k–ε models. The mean-flow and turbulence transport equations are integrated by a four-stage Runge–Kutta scheme. Numerical predictions are compared with the experimental data acquired at Allison Engine Company. An assessment of the performance of various turbulence models is carried out. The two modes of transition, bypass transition and separation-induced transition, are studied comparatively. Effects of blade surface pressure gradients, free-stream turbulence level, and Reynolds number on the blade boundary layer development, particularly transition onset, are examined. Predictions from a parabolic boundary layer code are included for comparison with those from the elliptic Navier–Stokes code. The present study indicates that the turbine external heat transfer, under real engine conditions, can be predicted well by the Navier–Stokes procedure with the low-Reynolds-number k–ε models employed.


Author(s):  
Chen-Ru Zhao ◽  
Zhen Zhang ◽  
Qian-Feng Liu ◽  
Han-Liang Bo ◽  
Pei-Xue Jiang

Numerical investigations are performed on the convection heat transfer of supercritical pressure fluid flowing through vertical mini tube with inner diameter of 0.27 mm and inlet Reynolds number of 1900 under various heat fluxes conditions using low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence models due to LB (Lam and Bremhorst), LS (Launder and Sharma) and V2F (v2-f). The predictions are compared with the corresponding experimentally measured values. The prediction ability of various low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence models under deteriorated heat transfer conditions induced by combinations of buoyancy and flow acceleration effects are evaluated. Results show that all the three models give fairly good predictions of local wall temperature variations in conditions with relatively high inlet Reynolds number. For cases with relatively low inlet Reynolds number, V2F model is able to capture the general trends of deteriorated heat transfer when the heat flux is relatively low. However, the LS and V2F models exaggerate the flow acceleration effect when the heat flux increases, while the LB model produces qualitative predictions, but further improvements are still needed for quantitative prediction. Based on the detailed flow and heat transfer information generated by simulation, a better understanding of the mechanism of heat transfer deterioration is obtained. Results show that the redistribution of flow field induced by the buoyancy and flow acceleration effects are main factors leading to the heat transfer deterioration.


2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Rodgers ◽  
Vale´rie Eveloy ◽  
M. S. J. Hashmi

The flow modeling approaches employed in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes dedicated to the thermal analysis of electronic equipment are generally not specific for the analysis of forced airflows over populated electronic boards. This limitation has been previously highlighted (Eveloy, V. et al., 2004, IEEE Trans. Compon., Packag., Technol. 27, pp. 268–282), with component junction temperature prediction errors of up to 35% reported. This study evaluates the potential of three candidate low-Reynolds number eddy viscosity turbulence models to improve predictive accuracy. An array of fifteen board-mounted PQFPs is analyzed in a 4 m/s airflow. Using the shear stress transport k-ω model, significant improvements in component junction temperature prediction accuracy are obtained relative to the standard high-Reynolds number k-ε model, which are attributed to better prediction of both board leading edge heat transfer and component thermal interaction. Such improvements would enable parametric analysis of product thermal performance to be undertaken with greater confidence in the thermal design process, and the generation of more accurate temperature boundary conditions for use in Physics-of-Failure based reliability prediction methods. The case is made for vendors of CFD codes dedicated to the thermal analysis of electronics to consider the adoption of eddy viscosity turbulence models more suited to board-level analysis.


Author(s):  
B. Song ◽  
R. S. Amano

Simulation of the complex flow inside a sharp U-bend needs both refined turbulence models and higher order numerical discretization schemes. In the present study, a nonlinear low-Reynolds number (low-Re) k–ω model including the cubic terms was employed to predict the turbulent flow through a square cross-sectioned U-bend with a sharp curvature, Rc/D = 0.65. In the turbulence model employed for the present study, the cubic terms are incorporated to represent the effect of extra strain-rates such as streamline curvature and three-dimensionality on both turbulence normal and shear stresses. In order to accurately predict such complex flowfields, a higher-order bounded interpolation scheme (Song, et al., 1999) has been used to discretize all the transport equations. The calculated results by using both the non-linear k–ω model and the linear low-Reynolds number k–ε model (Launder and Sharma, 1974) have been compared with experimental data. It is shown that the present model produces satisfactory predictions of the flow development inside the sharp U-bend and well captures the characteristics of the turbulence anisotropy within the duct core region and wall sub-layer.


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