Source Term Modelling of Vane-Type Vortex Generators under Adverse Pressure Gradient in OpenFOAM

Abstract

An analysis of the generation of vortices and their effects by vane-type vortex generators (VGs) positioned on a three-dimensional flat plate with a backward-facing ramp and adverse gradient pressure is carried out. The effects of a conventional vortex generator and a sub-boundary layer vortex generator are implemented by using a source term in the corresponding Navier-Stokes equations of momentum and energy according to the so-called jBAY Source Term Model. The influence of the vortex generator onto the computational domain flow is modelled through this source term in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using the open-source code OpenFOAM. The Source Term Model seems to simulate relatively well the streamwise pressure coefficient distributions all along the flat plate floor as well as certain parameters studied for vortex characterization such as vortex path, decay and size for the two vane-type vortex generators of different heights studied. Consequently, the implementation of the Source Term Model represents an advantage over a fully Mesh-Resolved Vortex Generator Model for certain applications as a result of a meaningful decrease in the cell number of the computational domain which implies saving computational time and resources.

Keywords

• flow control
• vortex generators
• source term
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• OpenFOAM
• wind tunnel