Boundary Layer Modeling for a Prolate Spheroid

Understanding boundary layers (BL) and smooth body separation is critical for accurately predicting the performance of maneuvering vehicles in naval applications. Historically, low-fidelity modeling tools – such as panel methods coupled with boundary layer solvers – have been used extensively to match experimental data of body forces and moments. These models rely on assumptions difficult to validate due to resolution requirements. Only recently have high-fidelity simulations, like wall-resolved large eddy simulations (WRLES), become available to address these demands. This work bridges the gap between high-fidelity simulations and low-fidelity models used in industrial applications. WRLES data of a 6:1 prolate spheroid at a 20-degree angle of attack (Plasseraud et al., 2023, J. Fluid Mech. 060:A3), will be used for BL analysis. This analysis includes separating viscous and inviscid flow components, extracting BL quantities, and validating model equations and their associated assumptions (e.g., velocity profile forms). The modern challenges of BL modeling, as well as present and proposed approaches, will be discussed. This study aims to improve the accuracy and reliability of boundary layer modeling for complex naval vehicle geometries.