Using computational methods, an investigation was performed on the physical mechanisms leading to vortex breakdown in high angle of attack flows over delta wing geometries. For this purpose, the Second International Vortex Flow Experiment (VFE-2) 65° sweep delta wing model was studied at a root chord Reynolds number (Recr) of 6 × 106 at various angles of attack. The open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver OpenFOAM was used in parallel with the commercial CFD solver ANSYS® FLUENT. For breadth, a variety of classic closure models were applied, including unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) and detached eddy simulation (DES). Results for all cases are analyzed and flow features are identified and discussed. The results show the inception of a pair of leading edge vortices originating at the apex for all models used, and a region of steady vortical structures downstream in the URANS results. However, DES results show regions of massively separated helical flow which manifests after vortex breakdown. Analysis of turbulence quantities in the breakdown region gives further insight into the mechanisms leading to such phenomena.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of flow over a three-dimensional axisymmetric hill presents a unique set of challenges for turbulence modeling. The flow past the crest of the hill is characterized by boundary layer separation, complex vortical structures, and unsteady wake flow. As a result, traditional eddy-viscosity Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models have been found to perform poorly for this benchmark test case. Recent studies have focused on the use of large-eddy simulation (LES) and hybrid RANS-LES (HRL) methods to improve accuracy. In this study, several different HRL models are investigated and results from the different models are evaluated relative to each other, to an eddy-viscosity RANS model, and to previously documented high-fidelity large-eddy simulations and experimental data. Results obtained from the simulations in terms of mean flow statistics, surface pressure distribution, and turbulence characteristics are presented and discussed in detail. Results indicate that HRL models can significantly improve predictions over RANS models, but only when the development of turbulent velocity fluctuations in the separated shear layer and recirculation region are well resolved.

A numerical analysis is performed to study the pre-stall and post-stall aerodynamic characteristics over a group of six airfoils using commercially available transition-sensitive and fully turbulent eddy-viscosity models. The study is focused on a range of Reynolds numbers from 6 × 104 to 2 × 106, wherein the flow around the airfoil is characterized by complex phenomena such as boundary layer transition, flow separation and reattachment, and formation of laminar separation bubbles on either the suction, pressure or both surfaces of airfoil. The predictive capability of the transition-sensitive k-kL-ω model versus the fully turbulent SST k-ω model is investigated for all airfoils. The transition-sensitive k-kL-ω model used in this study is capable of predicting both attached and separated turbulent flows over the surface of an airfoil without the need for an external linear stability solver to predict transition. The comparison between experimental data and results obtained from the numerical simulations is presented, which shows that the boundary layer transition and laminar separation bubbles that appear on the suction and pressure surfaces of the airfoil can be captured accurately by the use of a transition-sensitive model. The fully turbulent SST k-ω model predicts a turbulent boundary layer on both surfaces of the airfoil for all angles of attack and fails to predict boundary layer transition or separation bubbles. Discrepancies are observed in the predictions of airfoil stall by both the models. Reasons for the discrepancies between computational and experimental results, and also possible improvements in eddy-viscosity models, are discussed.

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This study focuses on modeling the effects of transitional flow and surface curvature on aerodynamic characteristics of an elliptic airfoil. Numerical simulations have been performed on a 16% thick elliptic airfoil for a range of angle of attack (α) from 0° to 20° and flow Reynolds number (Re) of 3 × 105, using relatively new transition-sensitive and traditional fully turbulent eddy viscosity turbulence models. Test conditions were matched to experiments by Kwon and Park (2005) and numerical results were compared with available experimental data. Results indicate that the transition-sensitive models, namely k-kL-ω and Transition SST, accurately predict the laminar-to-turbulent transition locations and reproduce the laminar separation bubbles on the suction surface of the airfoil in agreement with the experimental data. Also, transition-sensitive models yield improved predictions of lift and drag performance when compared with results from fully turbulent models. The fully turbulent models; including SA and k-ω SST, and a newly developed curvature-sensitive model (SST k-ω-ν2) fail to capture the flow separation and reattachment locations near the leading edge of airfoil. However, the curvature-sensitive SST k-ω-ν2 model predicts the stall point of the airfoil close to experimental results, while all other tested RANS models failed to accurately predict the stall point. Taken as a whole, the results suggest that accurate aerodynamic predictions at both low and high angles of attack might be achieved by using a model that includes the effects of both transition and curvature.