Numerical simulation of the boundary layer control on the NACA 0015 airfoil through vortex generators

Abstract

This paper studies the influence caused by a vortex generator (VG) on a wing section with NACA 0015 airfoil when this generator is located before and after a recirculation bubble caused by the boundary layer detachment. The study was numerically carried out and concentrated under conditions of flow with Rec = 2.38 × 105 and angles of attack AoA = 3 and 6, characterized by the fact that they undergo detachment of the boundary layer before and after the location of the VG, respectively. The use of the generator in AoA = 3 strongly influenced the reduction of the recirculation bubble, leading to a drag reduction of 1.43%. In AoA = 6 with a bubble recirculation, the effect was much lower, with no well-defined formation of longitudinal vortices, resulting in increased drag and lift at 0.33 and 0.35%, respectively.