CFD analysis of Gurney flap orientation and plasma actuation for turbulent flow control over NACA4412 airfoil
This study conducts a numerical investigation into advanced flow control strategies aimed at enriching the aerodynamic enhancement of airfoil of NACA4412 through the integration of passive and active techniques. Enhancing lift and decreasing drag especially at greater angles of attack (AOA) is the m...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Results in Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025007820 |
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| Summary: | This study conducts a numerical investigation into advanced flow control strategies aimed at enriching the aerodynamic enhancement of airfoil of NACA4412 through the integration of passive and active techniques. Enhancing lift and decreasing drag especially at greater angles of attack (AOA) is the main goal. A unsteady, three-dimensional and incompressible flow around the airfoil is simulated by employing Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with the Smagorinsky model to account for subgrid-scale impacts. The simulations were carried out with 3.1×106 Reynolds number with AOA values varying from 0∘ to 20∘. The current study looks into the use of a fixed width gurney flap measuring 2 mm and a height equal to 3% of the chord length, examining mounting angles of 45∘, 60∘, and 90∘. In addition, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator is placed 2% of the chord length from the leading edge. Results show that varying the gurney flap mounting angle at lower AOA significantly increases the lift coefficient ranging from 47.5% to 83%. In conjunction with plasma actuator, lift is substantially improved at larger AOA, achieving increases of 115% to 141%. But at lower AOA, the flap slightly rises drag, the combined hybrid model shows that the 45∘ flap at higher AOA reduces drag up to 25%, significantly boosting aerodynamic efficiency. The combination of 45∘ gurney flap and plasma actuator results in the highest lift-to-drag ratio among all configurations. Vortex structures near the gurney flap are visualized, demonstrating that enhanced vortex formation mitigates separation of flow. The 90∘ gurney flap alone generates a substantial lift increase at lower AOA, while its combination with the plasma actuator at higher AOA the drag reduces up to 8%, further emphasizing the efficacy of the integrated approach. Vorticity magnitude plots provide detailed insights into vortex dynamics, and Q-criterion contours illustrate turbulence behavior over the airfoil, offering a comprehensive evaluation of the influence of flow control strategies on aerodynamic efficacy. |
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| ISSN: | 2590-1230 |