Active flow control optimisation on SD7003 airfoil at pre and post-stall angles of attack using synthetic jets

Abstract

The use of Active Flow Control (AFC) technologies to modify the forces acting on streamlined bodies is one of the most active research fields in aerodynamics. For each particular application, finding the optimum set of AFC parameters which maximises lift, minimises drag or maximises lift-to-drag ratio (aerodynamic efficiency), has become a necessary design requirement. In the present paper, the AFC technology was applied to the Selig-Donovan 7003 (SD7003) airfoil at Reynolds number 6×104. Synthetic jets were employed to modify the lift and drag forces acting on the airfoil. Four angles of attack (AoA) of 4∘, 6∘, 8∘ and 14∘ were considered, alongside five AFC parameters: jet position, jet width, momentum coefficient, forcing frequency and jet inclination angle. A multi objective optimisation based on genetic algorithms (GA) was performed for each angle of attack to find the optimum combination of AFC parameters. Each GA generation was simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). A home-made GA package was linked with a mesh generator and the CFD solver, and the results were automatically fed back to the GA code. Over 2200 CFD simulations were performed in two dimensions, using the Spalart-Allmaras turbulent model. The motivation behind the current study is to understand the dependence of the optimum set of AFC parameters on the AoA. Results show that, as AoA is increased, the potential benefits of AFC become more pronounced, which allows for considerable improvement in aerodynamic efficiency. The physics involved in the interaction between the main flow and synthetic jet are clearly presented and clarifies that the physical phenomenon to obtain maximum efficiency is completely different at pre-stall and post-stall AoA. In particular, the aerodynamic efficiency was increased by 251% from baseline (no actuation) by using a moderate/finite momentum coefficient at AoA=14∘, while a mere 39% increase was obtained at AoA=8∘. In addition, the interaction between the incoming flow and the synthetic jet pulsating flow at different injection angles has been thoroughly investigated.