Enhancement of airfoil performance by rotating cylinder

Abstract

This study used a NACA 6409 smooth wing section. Its performance is compared to an enhanced design incorporating a revolving cylinder on the upper airfoil surface. The boundary conditions for the present work were Reynolds (105), and the attack angles were (0,2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16). A turbulence model was developed (SST K-), one of the aerodynamics models. This model is well-suited for sensing flow near a wall. The cylinder was evaluated at three positions (25,50,75) percent of the chord's length. The results indicated that position (25 percent C) was optimal, as it resulted in a 24.45 percent increase in lift coefficient at the angle of attack (12). And when the results were compared to those of other studies, they revealed a significant agreement.