Simulation Example — Flying on Earth

Overview

Since the advent of manned flight in 1903 by the Wright brothers, there have been significant technological advances involving flying craft within the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond. One such recent technological advance is remotely controlled drones, which find numerous recreational and scientific uses. For example, drones are widely used for aerial photography. Geologists also use drones for geo-reconnaissance to study the Earth’s surface to help them in evaluating and mitigating geological disasters.

It is important to accurately predict the aerodynamic forces acting on a drone in flight to design drones suitable for intended missions and for subsequent successful operation of drones in the atmosphere.

In this simulation, a NACA 0012 airfoil is considered at an angle of attack of 5 degrees, operating in the conditions of the Earth’s atmosphere. The aerodynamic forces experienced by the airfoil will be evaluated and the flow over the airfoil will be visualized.

Objective

The main objective of this simulation is to visualize the flow over an airfoil operating under certain atmospheric conditions and evaluate the aerodynamic forces acting on the airfoil.

Setup

Download the Mesh file required for setting up the simulation and associated Case & Data files here. Follow the instructions below to set up this simulation in Ansys Fluent starting with the mesh file. In case you face any issues setting up or running the simulation, refer to the corresponding initial and final Case and Data files.

Alternate video link.

Results and Discussion

Let us now analyze the simulation and understand the flow over an airfoil in the Earth's atmosphere.