Effect of turbulence intensity and gradient of turbulence intensity on airfoil aerodynamic characteristics at low Reynolds number

Abstract

Based on the complex flow field of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft with distributed propulsion, the influence of the turbulence intensity and gradient of turbulence intensity on the aerodynamic characteristics of two-dimensional airfoil under low Reynolds number was studied by solving the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) Equation based on the c-type structural mesh and γ-Reθt transition model. The aerodynamic characteristics of NACA0012 airfoil at different turbulence intensities and Reynolds numbers are simulated and compared with the experimental data, which verifies the reliability of the low Reynolds number calculation method. Meanwhile, the effects of the different low Reynolds number and gradient of turbulence intensity on the aero-dynamic characteristics of airfoil are studied, and the effect mechanism of the turbulence on the flow field around airfoil is analyzed. It shows that the flow characteristics of the airfoil with high turbulence or Reynolds number are more stable, the separation bubble size is smaller, the flow separation is delayed, and the stall angle of attack is larger, but the effect of the two mechanisms on the earlier transition is different. The influence of the turbulence gradient on the airfoil is limited by the Reynolds number, and the flow separation, transition and reattachment of the airfoil with high turbulence gradient are advance. The generation and evolution of the laminar separation bubble are closely related to the turbulence intensity and Reynolds number, and its scale and location also affect the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil.