Numerical methodologies have been implemented in most recent years in order to predict the lift and drag coefficients, the flow velocity, and the pressure distributions around the airfoil profiles in order to develop powerful computational tools based on the analysis of the main features, which describe the optimal wing or blade performance and predict a functional aerodynamic profile implemented to obtain the better energy efficiency generated, for different airplane designs. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, computation, and prediction of inviscid and viscous two-dimensional flows are based on unsteady simulations of large systems with linear equations solved in a reasonable amount of computing resources. In this sense, Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) approach is generally applied for simulating the mean quantities of turbulent flows with high efficiency in the solving of differential equations of fluid flows into the control volume. However, Large Eddy Simulations are widely recognized to capture the main turbulent effects in a free stream influenced by the inertial forces of the airfoil displacement. Therefore, this research presents a CFD study of the NACA 0012 airfoil with the aim of checking the level of prediction and the numerical performance methodologies proposed by recent numerical reviews developed to study the description of turbulent flows analyzed with the Navier Stokes equations for incompressible flows with small temperature differences between the airfoil surface, and the air free stream. Numerical results have been analyzed in order to compare URANS and LES data used to predict physical variables and turbulent quantities that perform the airfoil profile in the virtual environment offered by OpenFOAM software.
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