Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation for Propeller

A Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method has been employed in conjunction with an overlapping moving grid approach to provide accurate resolution of a five-blade propeller flows under both the design and off-design conditions. It is well known that some off-design propeller flow phenomena are dominated by viscous effects and cannot be accurately predicted by the potential flow methods. To properly account for viscous effects, it is necessary to employ accurate and robust numerical methods which can provide detailed resolution of the propeller boundary layer, turbulent wake, leading edge separation, and unsteady ring vortices induced by propeller operations under off-design conditions. In this study, time-domain simulations are performed for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Airfoil 6512 propeller.