Optimization of a synthetic jet actuator for aerodynamic stall control

Abstract: The numerical simulation of aerodynamic stall control using a synthetic jet actuator is presented and the automatic optimization of the control parameters is investigated. Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations are solved on unstructured grids using a near-wall low-Reynolds number turbulence closure to simulate the effects of a synthetic jet, located at 12% of the chord from the leading edge of a NACA 0015 airfoil, for a Reynolds number Re =8.96×105 and incidences between 12° and 24°. Then, an automatic optimization procedure coupled with the flow solver is employed to optimize the parameters of the actuator (momentum coefficient, frequency, angle with respect to the wall) at each incidence in order to increase the time-averaged lift. A significant increase of the maximum lift is obtained (+52% with respect to the baseline airfoil) and the stall delayed from 16° to 22° for optimal parameters. The flow characteristics and the influence of the respective control parameters are analysed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]