Numerical Simulation of Flows Using the Fourier Pseudospectral Method and the Immersed Boundary Method

Abstract

The present work proposes the application of a computational methodology based on the coupling of the Fourier Pseudospectral Method (FPSM) and the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) for conducting flow simulations over slender airfoils. This methodology, termed IMERSPEC, leverages the benefits of both high accuracy and low computational cost inherent in pseudospectral methods, thanks to the utilization of the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm. IBM is employed to impose non-periodic boundary conditions in the Navier–Stokes equations, addressing the requirement of periodicity at boundaries for FPSM convergence and to accurately represent the immersed slender airfoil in the flow. The aerodynamic behavior of the analyzed profiles was assessed by calculating lift and drag coefficients, which were then compared with existing literature results. Consistently favorable outcomes were observed, particularly in flows at lower Reynolds numbers, demonstrating the effectiveness of the IMERSPEC methodology for simulating complex flows computationally. Additionally, weight functions, fundamental to IBM, are employed flexibly for aerodynamic force calculations. Specifically, within the same simulation, a Cubic function is utilized for drag calculation while a Hat function is employed for lift calculation, yielding results more closely aligned with the literature’s findings. This approach offers an alternative to previously proposed methods for IBM implementation.

Keywords

• computational fluid dynamics
• flow over airfoils
• Fourier pseudo-spectral method
• immersed boundary method