Flow characterization past large Arrays of Oscillating 2D Airfoils

Assessing the so-called two-dimensional turbulence is crucial for understanding large-scale atmospheric and oceanic motions and for modeling geostrophic turbulence. Here, we investigate the distinct flow patterns generated by arrays of oscillating two-dimensional airfoils arranged in staggered configurations, consisting of 5 to 39 oscillating structures within Reynolds numbers ranging from 200 to 2000. Simulations were conducted using a novel Nonconforming Schwarz-Spectral Element Method (Schwarz-SEM) with multiple overlapping meshes to address the challenges of conformal meshes in complex geometries. A custom automated mesh generation tool was developed to create the computational mesh. Analysis of turbulent kinetic energy, spectral features, and other high-order statistics provides insights into how the wake characteristics depend on the number and spatial arrangement of the vortex-generating airfoils.

Reference

[1] Boffetta, Guido, and Robert E. Ecke. "Two-dimensional turbulence." Annual review of fluid mechanics 44.1 (2012): 427-451.

[2] Mittal, Ketan, Som Dutta, and Paul Fischer. “Direct Numerical Simulation of Rotating Ellipsoidal Particles Using Moving Nonconforming Schwarz-Spectral Element Method.” Computers & Fluids 205 (June 15, 2020): 104556.