Unsteady simulations of flow around a multicopter using an actuator disk model

Computations of flow around a multicopter are conducted using an actuator disk model. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the actuator disk model for cost-effective simulations. Details of the blade geometry are not required for the current approach. Instead, thrust and torque on the rotor disk are approximated based on a control volume analysis. It is anticipated that numerical cost would be significantly reduced while the flow field is reasonably reproduced. Computational results will be compared with relevant test data.