CFD Analysis of airfoils with flaps for low Reynolds numbers

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the aerodynamic flow through airfoils with and without flaps for low Reynolds numbers. A two-dimensional, permanent, viscous model is adopted in the problem. The mass conservation and Navier-Stokes equations are discretized using two numerical methods, the panels method and the finite volume method, using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) XFLR5® and ANSYS Fluent™ softwares. Initially, the work aims to compare the results obtained in the numerical simulation for different mesh refining with the analytical model available in the literature. Afterwards, it was verified how the pressure fields, velocity, current lines, drag and carry coefficients for symmetrical and asymmetrical airfoils work. Then, which airfoil is the most aerodynamically efficient, and finally, which numerical method is more feasible for two-dimensional and incompressible aerodynamic simulations.