scholarly journals Numerical Study on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of the NACA 0018 Airfoil at Low Reynolds Number for Darrieus Wind Turbines Using the Transition SST Model

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 477
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Rogowski ◽  
Grzegorz Królak ◽  
Galih Bangga

A symmetrical NACA 0018 airfoil is often used in such applications as small-to-medium scale vertical-axis wind turbines and aerial vehicles. A review of the literature indicates a large gap in experimental studies of this airfoil at low and moderate Reynolds numbers in the previous century. This gap has limited the potential development of classical turbulence models, which in this range of Reynolds numbers predict the lift coefficients with insufficiently accurate results in comparison to contemporary experimental studies. Therefore, this paper validates the aerodynamic performance of the NACA 0018 airfoil and the characteristics of the laminar separation bubble formed on its suction side using the standard uncalibrated four-equation Transition SST turbulence model and the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations. A numerical study was conducted for the chord Reynolds number of 160,000, angles of attack between 0 and 11 degrees, as well as for the free-stream turbulence intensity of 0.05%. The calculated lift and drag coefficients, aerodynamic derivatives, as well as the location and length of the laminar bubble quite well agree with the results of experimental measurements taken from the literature for validation. A sensitivity study of the numerical model was performed in this paper to examine the effects of the time-step size, geometrical parameters and mesh distribution around the airfoil on the simulation results. The airfoil data sets obtained in this work using the Transition SST and the k-ω SST turbulence models were used in the improved double multiple streamtube (IDMS) to calculate aerodynamic blade loads of a vertical-axis wind turbine. The characteristics of the normal component of the aerodynamic blade load obtained by the Transition SST approach are much better suited to the experimental data compared to the k-ω SST turbulence model.

Author(s):  
Karsten Tawackolian ◽  
Martin Kriegel

AbstractThis study looks to find a suitable turbulence model for calculating pressure losses of ventilation components. In building ventilation, the most relevant Reynolds number range is between 3×104 and 6×105, depending on the duct dimensions and airflow rates. Pressure loss coefficients can increase considerably for some components at Reynolds numbers below 2×105. An initial survey of popular turbulence models was conducted for a selected test case of a bend with such a strong Reynolds number dependence. Most of the turbulence models failed in reproducing this dependence and predicted curve progressions that were too flat and only applicable for higher Reynolds numbers. Viscous effects near walls played an important role in the present simulations. In turbulence modelling, near-wall damping functions are used to account for this influence. A model that implements near-wall modelling is the lag elliptic blending k-ε model. This model gave reasonable predictions for pressure loss coefficients at lower Reynolds numbers. Another example is the low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence model of Wilcox (LRN). The modification uses damping functions and was initially developed for simulating profiles such as aircraft wings. It has not been widely used for internal flows such as air duct flows. Based on selected reference cases, the three closure coefficients of the LRN model were adapted in this work to simulate ventilation components. Improved predictions were obtained with new coefficients (LRNM model). This underlined that low Reynolds number effects are relevant in ventilation ductworks and give first insights for suitable turbulence models for this application. Both the lag elliptic blending model and the modified LRNM model predicted the pressure losses relatively well for the test case where the other tested models failed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1115
Author(s):  
João Baltazar ◽  
Douwe Rijpkema ◽  
José Falcão de Campos

In this study, a Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes solver is used for prediction of the propeller performance in open-water conditions at different Reynolds numbers ranging from 104 to 107. The k−ω SST turbulence model and the γ−R˜eθt correlation-based transition model are utilised and results compared for a conventional marine propeller. First, the selection of the turbulence inlet quantities for different flow regimes is discussed. Then, an analysis of the iterative and discretisation errors is made. This work is followed by an investigation of the predicted propeller flow at variable Reynolds numbers. Finally, the propeller scale-effects and the influence of the turbulence and transition models on the performance prediction are discussed. The variation of the flow regime showed an increase in thrust and decrease in torque for increasing Reynolds number. From the comparison between the turbulence model and the transition model, different flow solutions are obtained for the Reynolds numbers between 105 and 106, affecting the scale-effects prediction.


Author(s):  
Fifi N. M. Elwekeel ◽  
Qun Zheng ◽  
Antar M. M. Abdala

This study investigated heat transfer characteristics on various shaped ribs on the lower channel wall using steam and steam/mist as cooling fluid. The lower wall is subjected to a uniform heat flux condition while others walls are insulated. Calculations are carried out for ribs with square ribs (case A), triangular ribs (case B), trapezoidal ribs (case C) and (case D) cross sections over a range of Reynolds numbers (14000–35000), constant mist mass fraction (6%) and fixed rib height and pitch. To investigate turbulence model effects, computations based on a finite volume method, are carried out by utilizing three turbulence models: the standard k-ω, Omega Reynolds Stress (ωRS) and Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence models. The predicted results from using several turbulence models reveal that the SST turbulence model provide better agreement with available measurements than others. It is found that the heat transfer coefficients are enhanced in ribbed channels with injection of a small amount of mist. The steam/mist provides the higher heat transfer enhancement over steam when trapezoidal shaped ribs (38°, case C).


Author(s):  
Guilherme Vaz ◽  
Christophe Mabilat ◽  
Remmelt van der Wal ◽  
Paul Gallagher

The objective of this paper is to investigate several numerical and modelling features that the CFD community is currently using to compute the flow around a fixed smooth circular cylinder. Two high Reynolds numbers, 9 × 104 and 5 × 105, are chosen which are in the so called drag-crisis region. Using a viscous flow solver, these features are assessed in terms of quality by comparing the numerical results with experimental data. The study involves grid sensitivity, time step sensitivity, the use of different turbulence models, three-dimensional effects, and a RANS/DES (Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes, Detached Eddy Simulation) comparison. The resulting drag forces and Strouhal numbers are compared with experimental data of different sources. Major flow features such as velocity and vorticity fields are presented. One of the main conclusions of the present study is that all models predict forces which are far from the experimental values, particularly for the higher Reynolds numbers in the drag-crisis region. Three-dimensional and unsteadiness effects are present, but are only fully captured by sophisticated turbulence models or by DES. DES seems to be the key to better solve the flow problem and obtain better agreement with experimental data. However, its considerable computational demands still do not allow to use it for engineering design purposes.


Author(s):  
M. Q. Gong ◽  
H. S. Chen ◽  
Y. J. Xu ◽  
J. Q. Deng

The stall margin and choke margin of centrifugal compressor could be increased by using Self-Adaptive Casing Treatment (SACT). The previous numerical research mainly focuses on making parametric optimization rather than the selection of turbulence model and flow field analysis of the compressor with SACT. In this work, the 3D steady state simulations were carried out to obtain the performance and flow field of the Krain impeller with and without SACT by ANSYS-CFX. Four turbulence models including k-Epsilon turbulence model, RNG k-Epsilon turbulence model, Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model and BSL Reynolds Stress (BSL) turbulence model were used to simulate the Krain impeller with a vaneless constant area diffuser. The numerical data were validated by the experimental data in reference. The results of this study showed that different turbulence models led to differences in performance predictions and flow field characteristics, and the overall performance and flow field features could be predicted more accurately by using SST turbulence model. The bypass flow and reinjected flow were respectively observed in the hole when the Krain impeller with SACT worked at large and small mass flow rate conditions. And the stable working range of the Krain impeller was expanded by using SACT. In addition, the development of the low-velocity fluid at the blade tip region was restrained with the application of SACT.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrique Stel ◽  
Rigoberto E. M. Morales ◽  
Admilson T. Franco ◽  
Silvio L. M. Junqueira ◽  
Raul H. Erthal ◽  
...  

This article describes a numerical and experimental investigation of turbulent flow in pipes with periodic “d-type” corrugations. Four geometric configurations of d-type corrugated surfaces with different groove heights and lengths are evaluated, and calculations for Reynolds numbers ranging from 5000 to 100,000 are performed. The numerical analysis is carried out using computational fluid dynamics, and two turbulence models are considered: the two-equation, low-Reynolds-number Chen–Kim k-ε turbulence model, for which several flow properties such as friction factor, Reynolds stress, and turbulence kinetic energy are computed, and the algebraic LVEL model, used only to compute the friction factors and a velocity magnitude profile for comparison. An experimental loop is designed to perform pressure-drop measurements of turbulent water flow in corrugated pipes for the different geometric configurations. Pressure-drop values are correlated with the friction factor to validate the numerical results. These show that, in general, the magnitudes of all the flow quantities analyzed increase near the corrugated wall and that this increase tends to be more significant for higher Reynolds numbers as well as for larger grooves. According to previous studies, these results may be related to enhanced momentum transfer between the groove and core flow as the Reynolds number and groove length increase. Numerical friction factors for both the Chen–Kim k-ε and LVEL turbulence models show good agreement with the experimental measurements.


Author(s):  
Yoann Jus ◽  
Elisabeth Longatte ◽  
Jean-Camille Chassaing ◽  
Pierre Sagaut

The present work focusses on the numerical study of Vortex-Induced Vibrations (VIV) of an elastically mounted cylinder in a cross flow at moderate Reynolds numbers. Low mass-damping experimental studies show that the dynamic behavior of the cylinder exhibits a three-branch response model, depending on the range of the reduced velocity. However, few numerical simulations deal with accurate computations of the VIV amplitudes at the lock-in upper branch of the bifurcation diagram. In this work, the dynamic response of the cylinder is investigated by means of three-dimensional Large Eddy Simulation (LES). An Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian framework is employed to account for fluid solid interface boundary motion and grid deformation. Numerous numerical simulations are performed at a Reynolds number of 3900 for both no damping and low-mass damping ratio and various reduced velocities. A detailed physical analysis is conducted to show how the present methodology is able to capture the different VIV responses.


Author(s):  
D. Holst ◽  
B. Church ◽  
F. Wegner ◽  
G. Pechlivanoglou ◽  
C. N. Nayeri ◽  
...  

The wind industry needs reliable and accurate airfoil polars to properly predict wind turbine performance, especially during the initial design phase. Medium- and low-fidelity simulations directly depend on the accuracy of the airfoil data and even more so if, e.g., dynamic effects are modeled. This becomes crucial if the blades of a turbine operate under stalled conditions for a significant part of the turbine's lifetime. In addition, the design process of vertical axis wind turbines needs data across the full range of angles of attack between 0 and 180 deg. Lift, drag, and surface pressure distributions of a NACA 0021 airfoil equipped with surface pressure taps were investigated based on time-resolved pressure measurements. The present study discusses full range static polars and several dynamic sinusoidal pitching configurations covering two Reynolds numbers Re = 140k and 180k, and different incidence ranges: near stall, poststall, and deep stall. Various bistable flow phenomena are discussed based on high frequency measurements revealing large lift-fluctuations in the post and deep stall regime that exceed the maximum lift of the static polars and are not captured by averaged measurements. Detailed surface pressure distributions are discussed to provide further insight into the flow conditions and pressure development during dynamic motion. The experimental data provided within the present paper are dedicated to the scientific community for calibration and reference purposes, which in the future may lead to higher accuracy in performance predictions during the design process of wind turbines.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seok-Ki Choi ◽  
Seong-O Kim ◽  
Hoon-Ki Choi

A numerical study for the evaluation of heat transfer correlations for sodium flows in a heat exchanger of a fast breeder nuclear reactor is performed. Three different types of flows such as parallel flow, cross flow, and two inclined flows are considered. Calculations are performed for these three typical flows in a heat exchanger changing turbulence models. The tested turbulence models are the shear stress transport (SST) model and the SSG-Reynolds stress turbulence model by Speziale, Sarkar, and Gaski (1991, “Modelling the Pressure-Strain Correlation of Turbulence: An Invariant Dynamical System Approach,” J. Fluid Mech., 227, pp. 245–272). The computational model for parallel flow is a flow past tubes inside a circular cylinder and those for the cross flow and inclined flows are flows past the perpendicular and inclined tube banks enclosed by a rectangular duct. The computational results show that the SST model produces the most reliable results that can distinguish the best heat transfer correlation from other correlations for the three different flows. It was also shown that the SSG-RSTM high-Reynolds number turbulence model does not deal with the low-Prandtl number effect properly when the Peclet number is small. According to the present calculations for a parallel flow, all the old correlations do not match with the present numerical solutions and a new correlation is proposed. The correlations by Dwyer (1966, “Recent Developments in Liquid-Metal Heat Transfer,” At. Energy Rev., 4, pp. 3–92) for a cross flow and its modified correlation that takes into account of flow inclination for inclined flows work best and are accurate enough to be used for the design of the heat exchanger.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 2266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoutu Li ◽  
Ye Li ◽  
Congxin Yang ◽  
Xuyao Zhang ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
...  

The airfoil plays an important role in improving the performance of wind turbines. However, there is less research dedicated to the airfoils for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) compared to the research on Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs). With the objective of maximizing the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil by optimizing its geometrical parameters and by considering the law of motion of VAWTs, a new airfoil, designated the LUT airfoil (Lanzhou University of Technology), was designed for lift-driven VAWTs by employing the sequential quadratic programming optimization method. Afterwards, the pressure on the surface of the airfoil and the flow velocity were measured in steady conditions by employing wind tunnel experiments and particle image velocimetry technology. Then, the distribution of the pressure coefficient and aerodynamic loads were analyzed for the LUT airfoil under free transition. The results show that the LUT airfoil has a moderate thickness (20.77%) and moderate camber (1.11%). Moreover, compared to the airfoils commonly used for VAWTs, the LUT airfoil, with a wide drag bucket and gentle stall performance, achieves a higher maximum lift coefficient and lift–drag ratios at the Reynolds numbers 3 × 105 and 5 × 105.


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