A Numerical Study on the effect of Rotating Cylinder as Active Flow Control Device for NACA 23015 Airfoil

Abstract

Abstract Enhancing aerodynamic efficiency through the use of active and passive flow control methods with airfoils is one of the currently researched areas in the aerospace sector. This paper investigates the lift and drag characteristics of a NACA 23015 airfoil at low-velocity ratios using a rotating cylinder as a flow control device. To conduct this study ANSYS Fluent was utilized for simulation. The analysis involved placing the rotating cylinder at locations along the chord length of both the lower surfaces of the airfoil. Additionally, different cylinder diameters were tested for each scenario to assess performance. This study was carried out at Reynolds number Re = 1.5 x 105 corresponding to free stream velocity 15 m/s at seven Angle of Attack (0°,5°,10°,15°,20°,25° and 30°) The findings revealed that incorporating rotating cylinders can significantly enhance the performance of the airfoil. Moreover, it was noted that placing the cylinder at the lower surface improves the aerodynamic performance more compared to that when placed at the leading edge or upper surface at lower angles of attack.