Design Of Airfoil For Low Reynolds Number Flights Using Python Automation Code

Abstract

The design of airfoil represents a facet of aerodynamics. The low-Reynolds number flight vehicle manufacturers/designers are seeking the efficient and effective method of airfoil design code for design and development. This research paper presents an efficient, low-speed airfoil design using the Python automation code. The main objective is to design the airfoil to achieve high aerodynamic performance for future fixed-wing micro aerial vehicle (MAV) applications. In this study, the fixed-wing micro aerial vehicle travel with the speed range between 6-20 m/s and the Reynolds number 2x105 are considered. The Python automation code is developed to achieve the optimum air foil as per the user requirements The designed airfoil is analysed using ANSYS Fluent and is validated with wind tunnel experiments. According to the findings, the designed airfoil has a high lift aerodynamic performance at low Reynolds number and could be ideal for the design and development of micro aerial vehicles. The maximum variation of the coefficients of lift and drag from reference (S1223 airfoil) and designed airfoil numerical results are 13.64% and 16.66%, respectively at 10 angle of attack (AOA). The maximum range and endurance estimated for both reference and designed airfoil. The maximum range 6% increased for designed airfoil as compared to the reference airfoil. It is strongly recommended that any aerodynamic design engineer can use this Python automation code to design the airfoil as per the user requirements.