On the large-eddy simulations for the flow around aerodynamic profiles using unstructured grids (original) (raw)

This paper investigates the capabilities of two subgrid-scale (SGS) models suitable for unstructured grids for predicting the complex flow in transitional separated bubbles. We consider here the flow over a NACA 0012 airfoil at Reynolds number Re = 5 × 10 4 and angles of attack (AOA) AOA = 5 • and 8 • . The SGS models investigated are: the wall-adapting eddy viscosity model within a variational multiscale method (VMS-WALE) and the QR eddy-viscosity model. Both are well suited for large-eddy simulations (LES) in complex geometries with unstructured grids. The models are assessed and compared to the results of direct numerical simulations (DNS) on the basis of first and second order statistics. Based on the good results obtained, specially with the VMS-WALE model, challenging simulations at high Reynolds numbers and various AOA are also performed. It has been found that predictions of the lift and drag coefficients agree reasonably well with experimental data.