Aerodynamic Performance of NACA-0012 Airfoil at Low Reynolds Numbers in Wake of Bluff Body

The aerodynamic performance of airfoils is adversely impacted when operating in a bluff-body wake. This investigation focused on understanding the impact of larger-scale structures on the aerodynamic performance of the NACA-0012 airfoil when operating in the wake of a rectangular bluff body. The measurements for this study were performed in the water tunnel facility with a Reynolds number of 40,000. A 6-axis force/torque transducer was used for measuring force and moment on the airfoil, and Particle Image Velocimetry was used to quantify the inflow velocity field. The results indicated that there is a significant reduction in lift coefficients with an increase in the drag coefficients experienced by the airfoil when operating in the wake of bluff body. Moreover, the vortex shed by the bluff body also impacts the lift force spectra, showing a correlation between the observed flow structures and instantaneous load on the airfoil.