SUMMARY: Flow around NACA 2412
Airfoil
Figure 1. Geometry.
Figure 2. Contours of Mach number at AOA = 0 deg
LAST UPDATED
October 31, 2014
SOFTWARE VERSION
R15.0.0
DESCRIPTION
The performance of an airplane wing has a critical influence on the overall performance of the airplane
impacting the range, speed, climb rate, payload, maneuverability, runway length, etc. Performance
degradation is often the result of flow separation over the wing. Adverse pressure gradient with low
flow velocities in the boundary layer causes flow separation on the wing leading to significant reduction
in lift. The prediction of flow behavior over the range of operating conditions in a flight is thus very
crucial for optimal design and safety consideration.
In the current case, a two-dimensional flow over a NACA 2412 airfoil is simulated. The flow domain is
shown in Figure 1. The angle of attack (AOA) of the airfoil is varied from 0 to 18 degrees with freestream
velocity of about 45 m/s (Mach number of 0.133). The simulation is done using Workbench parameters
for the AOA. The flow is obtained by solving steady-state governing equations of continuity, momentum
and energy along with the SST K-Omega turbulence model. Air is assumed to be a calorically perfect gas.
Figure 2 presents contours of Mach number at AOA = 0 deg. Figure 3 shows the variation of CL and CD
with change in AOA. Figure 4 shows the contours of velocity around the airfoil. The blue region on the
rear end of the suction side represents the separation bubble due to the high angle of attack.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Open the Workbench Project.
2. Start Fluent.
3. Check out the case settings.
© 2015 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
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4.
5.
6.
7.
Close Fluent.
Check out the design points and input and output parameters.
Select all the design points and update.
Save the project file.
Figure 2 CL and CD variation with AOA
Figure 3 Velocity Contours (m/s) at AOA = 15 deg.
APPLICATIONS
1. Aerodynamics: Flow analysis at various angle of attack.
KEY WORDS
Airfoil, 2D, NACA, external aerodynamics, compressible flow.
FILES
1. This Document.
2. Analysis file: NACA_2412_Results.xlsx
3. Workbench Project Archive File: new-airfoil-2412.wbpz
© 2015 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
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