Parametric study of vane-type vortex generators under adverse pressure gradient by source term modelling in OpenFOAM

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyse and characterize the primary vortices produced by single low profile vane-type vortex generators (VGs) of different heights positioned on a flat plate with a backward-facing ramp and adverse gradient pressure for an incident angle of 15º. The effect of the vortex generator is implemented by using a source term in the Navier-Stokes equations according to the so-called jBAY source term model. In order to carry out the parametric study of the primary vortex, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been performed for different VG heights using the Navier-Stokes equations at a Reynolds number of Reθ = 9100 based on the local boundary layer momentum thickness θ in open-source code OpenFOAM. As a preliminary result, the jBAY model reproduces relatively well the streamwise pressure coefficient distributions on the flat plate floor. Finally, the advantage of using this model over a fully mesh-resolved vortex generator model for certain cases must be remarked because a lower number of cells is needed in the model domain with a saving of computational time and resources.