Direct numerical simulation of flow over a triangular airfoil under martian atmospheric conditions

Abstract

Martian conditions present various challenges when designing rotorcraft. Specifically, the thin atmosphere and low sound speed require Martian rotor blades to operate in a low Reynolds number (1,000 to 10,000) compressible regime, for which conventional airfoils are not designed. Here we utilize PyFR to undertake high-order Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of flow over a triangular airfoil at a Mach number of 0.15 and Reynolds number of 3,000. Initially, span-wise periodic DNS are undertaken. Extending the domain-span-to-chord ratio from 0.3 to 0.6 leads to better agreement with wind tunnel data at higher angles of attack, when the flow is separated. This is because smaller domain spans artificially suppress three-dimensional breakdown of coherent structures above the suction surface of the airfoil. Subsequently, full-span DNS in a virtual wind tunnel are undertaken, including all wind tunnel walls. These capture blockage and wall boundary layer effects, leading to better agreement with wind tunnel data for all angles of attack compared to span-wise periodic DNS. The results are important in terms of understanding discrepancies between previous span-wise periodic DNS and wind tunnel data. They also demonstrate the utility of high-order DNS as a tool for accurately resolving flow over triangular airfoils under Martian conditions.