Computational Investigation of a Low Profile Vortex Generator

Vortex generators are known to provide several aerodynamic benefits including delayed separation, increased lift, and stabilized shocks by energizing the boundary layer. But, these benefits come at the cost of increased parasitic drag due to the geometry of the traditional vortex generator. The current work studies a low profile vortex generator, termed a conformal vortex generator (CVG), which can successfully energize the boundary layer without the increase in parasitic drag. This study utilizes a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package (Star-CCM+) to analyze the flow over the CVGs. Due to the low profile of the CVG, quasi-Direct Numerical Simulation (qDNS) was used to capture both large and small scale flow features. Using a flat plate developing boundary layer as inlet boundary condition, the sensitivity of the downstream flow field to the CVG geometry is assessed by varying CVG geometry and flow conditions. These results as well as comparison with water tunnel experimental results will be presented.