A Unified Methodology for Aerospace Systems Integration Based on Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Aerodynamics Assessment

Abstract

Abstract : We present a viscous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation over two finite twisted wings configured so as to give a theoretically predicted elliptic and parabolic lift distributions. Local surface integration and farfield methods were used to calculate the induced drag. The objective of this project is to relate work-potential losses (exergy destruction) to the aerodynamics forces in an attempt to validate a new design methodology based on the second law of thermodynamics. Exergy destruction for the entire flow field was determined from the CFD results. CFD results show that the parabolic case produces smaller induced drag and entropy generation rates than the elliptic case. The entropy generation rates for both cases deviated significantly from the expected values, revealing the inaccuracy of entropy generation rate prediction for a turbulent flow. This project, however, set up a basis in terms of analysis methodology, from which the future work will follow.