A Numerical Study on Performance of NACA 2418 Airfoil

Abstract

The present research is on the 2-D flow simulation and performance optimization of an aerofoil using CFD software ANSYS-Fluent. The aerofoil model NACA-2418 is chosen for the investigation for its rising popularity in training aircrafts. Our motive is to investigate various fluid-dynamic aspects and to optimize its performance for economic use. Geometry of the aerofoil NACA-2418 is prepared and an asymmetric mesh is created in ANSYS-mesh. Optimum grid size is achieved by a suitable grid-independence study. The standard k-ε model has been used for turbulence modelling. Validation with the experimental results proved the CFD-model to fit accurately for the case. Variation of lift coefficient, drag coefficient and lift-to-drag ratio is explained with fluid dynamic visualization obtained from CFD results. An optimum Lift-to-drag ratio is found for the angle of attack lying near the range of 5^o angle of attack for the present geometry.