Acoustic characteristics of DU96-W-180 airfoil at low-Reynolds number

Turbulent boundary layer separation is an important issue for a variety of applications, one of which is S-shaped aircraft engine intakes. The turbulent separation at the engine intake causes inlet flow distortion, which can deteriorate engine performance, cause fatigue and reduce engine component life. Various flow control techniques have been applied for turbulent boundary layer separation control, such as vortex generators, vortex generator jets and synthetic jets. The recent advent of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators can potentially provide a robust method for the control of turbulent boundary layer separation. Compared to other flow control techniques, these new actuators are simple, robust and devoid of moving mechanical parts, which make them ideal for aerodynamic applications. The present work studies the effects of DBD plasma actuators on the suppression of 2-D turbulent boundary layer separation induced by an imposed adverse pressure gradient. First, the flow field with and without actuation in a low-speed wind tunnel is investigated experimentally by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements. The results show that plasma actuation can suppress turbulent boundary layer separation in both continuous and pulsed modes. In the pulsed mode, the actuation with an optimal actuation frequency, corresponding to a dimensionless frequency of order one, is found to most effectively suppress the turbulent separation. Moreover, the effects of plasma actuation on the flow is demonstrated and analyzed by using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD). The effect of the actuation is found to be correlated to the second POD mode which corresponds to large flow fluctuations.

In this paper, the effect of dielectric-barrier discharge plasma excitation characteristics on turbulent boundary layer separation over a hump is investigated using computational fluid dynamics. Four different turbulence models were used for verification. The Reynolds stress model showed the best agreement with the experimental data, in general. Based on the verification and validation, the effect of duty cycle and excitation frequency on the turbulent flow separation were investigated. The results showed that the pulsed plasma excitation could effectively suppress the flow separation by mixing augmentation. With increasing duty cycle and excitation frequency, the flow separation first increased, then decreased again. The optimal duty cycle was 0.75 and the optimal excitation frequency was 50 Hz.

Modeling arrays of passive vortex generators (VGs) pairs, mounted in the fully turbulent boundary layer of a flat plate and generating streamwise counterrotating vortex structures is the object of this investigation. Usually, a sound computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation requires an adequate grid with a corresponding large number of grid points around such VGs in order to obtain an accurate solution of this flow case. This, in turn, leads to a time-demanding grid generation which often comes along with lots of practical challenges during the creation. An effective way to get around this time-consuming process is to introduce a way to model these flow separation devices statistically and, by that, to add their statistical physical effects to the governing equations rather than resolving their geometries in the computational grid. KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, and FOI, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, have developed a computational tool for statistical VG modeling that makes it possible to simulate and add the additional statistical effects of passive VGs in wall-bounded flows, whereas the need for a local mesh refinement is no longer required. This approach for the modeling of passive VGs turbulent flow separation devices is presented using a two dimensional Navier-Stokes flow solver. Computational results for fully three dimensional resolved VGs as well as experimental results are evaluated and compared to this statistical VG model approach. It is shown that the VG model approach gives very promising results that compare well to results from CFD and experiments. Nevertheless, the influence of the vortex structures on the flow and on the turbulent stresses decays quicker than it is observed in experiments. Further-more, the statistical VG model is evaluated for asymmetric diffuser flow and compared to experimental data with as well as without VGs. It is shown that the VG model is capable of predicting the influence of the VGs on decreased and vanished separation of this highly sensitive flow case, giving a better pressure recovery at the diffuser's outlet.

An exploratory numerical study of the control of transitional and turbulent separated flows by means of dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) actuators is presented. The flow fields are simulated employing a high-fidelity Navier–Stokes solver augmented with a phenomenological model representing the plasma-induced body forces imparted by the actuator on the fluid. Several applications are considered, including interaction of an actuator with a laminar boundary layer, suppression of wing stall, control of boundary layer transition on a plate, control of laminar separation over a ramp, and turbulent separation over a wall-mounted hump. Effective suppression of stall over a NACA 0015 airfoil at moderate Reynolds numbers is demonstrated using either co-flow or counter-flow actuators pulsed at a sufficiently high frequency. By contrast, continuous actuation is found to provide little control of separation. For a laminar boundary layer developing along a flat plate, a counter-flow DBD actuator is shown to provide an effective on-demand tripping device. This property is exploited for the suppression of laminar separation over a ramp. Control of turbulent boundary-layer separation over a wall-mounted hump suggests that once the flow is turbulent, control effectiveness is only achieved for higher actuator strengths with implications for the scalability of DBD devices to higher freestream velocities.

A detached eddy simulation method with the turbulent separation is presented to simulate and analyze the characteristics for the flow around a circular cylinder with a turbulent boundary layer separation and its lift/drag coefficients in a weakly conductive fluid at a high subcritical Reynolds number 1.4×105 under an electromagnetic force. The results show that the electromagnetic force can increase the fluid kinetic energy near the turbulent boundary layer, delay the turbulent boundary layer separation of the flow around the circular cylinder, and weaken the intensity of the large-scale eddy in the turbulent flow around the circular cylinder in the streamwise and spanwise directions, reduce the time-average drag, and inhibit the lift fluctuation amplitude on the circular cylinder. Moreover, after the electromagnetic force parameter reaches a certain critical value, the turbulent boundary layer separation disappears and the jet phenomenon appears in the wake of the circular cylinder, so that the electromagnetic force produces the thrust action on the circular cylinder and the negative drag occurs, and the lift fluctuation amplitude declines to almost zero and the lift phenomenon on the circular cylinder disappears.

Large-eddy simulation of a separated flow over NACA0015 at Reynolds number 1,600,000 at angle of attack 20.11 deg. is conducted to clarify the features of turbulent separated flow at high Reynolds number. The total number of grid point is approximately one billion, and a high order scheme is used in this computation. The LES result agrees with the experimental result in terms of the locations of the laminar-separation, turbulent reattachment, and the turbulent separation, and of the surface pressure distribution. The laminar-separation bubble is formed near the leading edge with turbulent transition. Then turbulent boundary layer develops over the airfoil surface and the flow is separated as a turbulent flow. The time-frequency analysis indicates that there are two characteristic frequencies: 1)Strouhal number St = 100 at the turbulent reattachment point, 2)St = 4 at the turbulent separation point. These frequencies are expected as effective excitation frequencies to control the separated flow considered.

The paper provides a theoretical description of the development of the boundary layer on the lip and diffuser surface of a subsonic inlet at arbitrary operating conditions of mass flow rate, freestream velocity and incidence angle. Both laminar separation on the lip and turbulent separation in the diffuser are discussed. The agreement of the theoretical results with model experimental data illustrates the capability of the theory to predict separation. The effects of throat Mach number, inlet size, and surface roughness on boundary-layer development and separation are illustrated.

The primary objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of aerodynamic plasma actuators as a means of active flow control over a low speed airfoil at multiple angles of attack each corresponding to two different flow separation mechanisms (i.e., laminar separation bubble and turbulent flow separation at stall conditions). Detailed parametric studies based on steady and unsteady Navier-Stokes simulations were performed for a NACA 0012 airfoil at a chord Reynolds number of 10 5 . In particular, parametric studies were performed to investigate the influence of the number, the location, the imposed body force magnitude and steady vs. unsteady operation of the plasma actuators on the flow control effectiveness. First, the effectiveness of plasma actuators was studied when applied to the airfoil at a relatively low angle of attack, which involved the development of a laminar separation bubble (LSB). Next, the effectiveness of plasma actuators was analyzed at a high angle of attack where the stall of the airfoil occurs with a fully turbulent flow assumption. The results show that plasma actuators can provide significant improvement in aerodynamic performance for the flow conditions and geometry considered in this study. For LSB control, as much as a 50% improvement in the lift to drag ratio was observed. Results also show that the same improvement can be achieved using an unsteady or multiple actuators, which can require as much as 75% less time averaged body force compared to a single, steady actuator. For the stalled airfoil case, significant recovery in aerodynamic performance was observed for a single, steady actuator. However this was achieved using a voltage input eight times higher than what was used for LSB control. For the stall conditions considered in this study, unsteady and multiple actuator configurations do not provide the same enhancement as a single, steady actuator, which may be due to the nature of the flow separation (turbulent, trailing edge separation). The results of both cases show that the optimum location for the effectiveness of a plasma actuator would be just upstream of the separation location, which implies the usefulness of multiple actuator systems for flow control over a range of operating conditions.

An experimental and analytical study of the separation of a turbulent boundary layer is reported. The turbulent boundary-layer separation model proposed by Sandborn & Kline (1961) is demonstrated to predict the experimental results. Two distinct turbulent separation regions, an intermittent and a steady separation, with correspondingly different velocity distributions are confirmed. The true zero wall shear stress turbulent separation point is determined by electronic means. The associated mean velocity profile is shown to belong to the same family of profiles as found for laminar separation. The velocity distribution at the point of reattachment of a turbulent boundary layer behind a step is also shown to belong to the laminar separation family.Prediction of the location of steady turbulent boundary-layer separation is made using the technique employed by Stratford (1959) for intermittent separation.

The results of an investigation into the effects that sub-boundary layer vortex generators (SBVGs) have on reducing normal shock-induced turbulent boundary layer separation are presented. The freestream Mach number and Reynolds number were M=1.45 and R=15.9×106/m, respectively. Total pressure profiles, static pressure distributions, surface total pressure (Preston pressure) distributions, oil flow visualization, and Schlieren photographs were used in the result analysis. The effects of SBVG height and the location upstream of the shock were investigated. A novel tetrahedron shape SBVG with different lengths (30 mm and 60 mm) was used for these experiments. The effect of streamwise location of the longer SBVG on the interaction was also investigated. The location of the shock wave was controlled by an adjustable choke mechanism located downstream of the working section. The results show that an increase in the distance for the longer SBVG from 17.4δR to 25.5δR did not remove the separation entirely, but the shorter SBVG provided higher total pressure distribution within the boundary layer in the recovery region. This also provided a healthier boundary layer profile downstream of the interaction region with lower displacement thickness and shape factor.

Several passive separation control techniques for controlling moderate two-dimensional turbulent flow separation over a backward-facing ramp are studied. Small transverse and swept grooves, passive porous surfaces, large longitudinal grooves, and vortex generators were among the techniques used. It was found that, unlike the transverse and longitudinal grooves of an equivalent size, the 45-deg swept-groove configurations tested tended to enhance separation.

Systems based on wind energy harvesting can successfully meet part of the increasing green energy demand worldwide. However, wind turbines operation might be undermined by varying atmospheric conditions, which could result in an increase of angle of attack and consequent onset of flow separation phenomena, especially at low Reynolds numbers. Such conditions are strongly influenced by blades geometry, and they negatively affect structural integrity and power output of wind turbines. For this reason, it is crucial to define a tool capable of swiftly allowing numerical investigations on different geometrical configurations to delay and mitigate flow separation occurrence. The present work aims at modelling laminar-turbulent transition and turbulent flow separation over a wind turbine blade section operating at angle of attack = 15°, Re = 66000 and Pr = 0.71 by means of a steady RANS approach. Turbulence is treated by means of the Transition SST k-ω and the Transition k-kL-ω models. The main aerodynamic and thermal coefficients are evaluated and compared against a high-order accurate DNS database for validation. The results highlight, for the present test case, a better capability of the Transition SST k-ω of perceiving the main thermo-fluid dynamic features of the separated flow over the blade section.

Thermographic detection of turbulent flow separation on rotor blades of wind turbines in operation

Relative performance of several passive and active methods for controlling two-dimensional turbulent separated flow associated with a curved backward-facing ramp were investigated at low speeds. Surface static pressure measurement and oil flow visualization results indicate that submerged vortex generators, vortex generator jets, elongated arches at +-alpha, and large-eddy breakup devices at +-alpha placed near the baseline separation location reduce flow separation and increase pressure recovery. Spanwise cylinders reduce flow separation but decrease pressure recovery downstream. Arches with alpha = 0 deg, Helmholtz resonators, and Viets' fluidic flappers examined so far have no significant effect in reducing separation. Wall cooling computation indicates that separation delay on a partially cooled ramp is nearly the same as on a fully-cooled ramp while minimizing the frictional drag increase associated with the wall cooling process.

Relative performance of several passive and active methods for controlling two-dimensional turbulent separated flow associated with a curved backward-facing ramp were investigated at low speeds. Surface static pressure measurement and oil flow visualization results indicate that transverse grooves, longitudinal grooves, submerged vortex generators (with h/δ ~ O(0.1–0.2)), vortex generator jets (with β ≃ 90°, α ≃ 15°), elongated arches at +α, and huge-eddy breakup devices (LEBU’s) at +a placed near the baseline separation location reduce flow separation and increase pressure recovery. Spanwise cylinders reduce flow separation but decrease pressure recovery downstream. Arches and LEBU’s with α ≤ 0° examined so far have no significant effect in reducing separation. Wall cooling computation indicates that separation delay on a partially cooled ramp is nearly the same as on a fully-cooled ramp while minimizing the frictional drag increase associated with the wall cooling process.