Large Eddy Simulation of an SD7003 Airfoil: Effects of Reynolds number and Subgrid-scale modeling: Paper

This paper presents results of a series of numerical simulations in order to study aerodynamic characteristics of the low Reynolds number Selig-Donovan airfoil, SD7003. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique is used for all computations at chord-based Reynolds numbers 10,000, 24,000 and 60,000 and simulations have been performed to primarily investigate the role of sub-grid scale (SGS) modeling on the dynamics of flow generated over the airfoil, which has not been dealt with in great detail in the past.

It is seen that simulations are increasingly getting influenced by SGS modeling with increasing the Reynolds number, and the effect is visible even at a relatively low chord-Reynolds number of 60,000. Among the tested models, the dynamic Smagorinsky gives the poorest predictions of the flow, with overprediction of lift and a larger separation on airfoils suction side.

Among various models, the implicit LES offers closest pressure distribution predictions compared with literature.