The article explores flow behavior around thick airfoils at low Reynolds numbers and the potential application of energy methods to manipulate the flow field for increased lift and reduced drag. The study relies on a set of propulsion airfoils calculated using a combined approach of solving the inverse problem of aerodynamics and applying stochastic global optimization methods. The calculations consider the transition from laminar to turbulent flow regimes, which significantly affects lift and airfoil drag. The suitability of different turbulence models for airfoil modeling in low Reynolds numbers is discussed, and numerical simulation results determine the lift coefficient dependence on angle of attack and the optimal air flow rate taken from the airfoil surface for each angle of attack. The accuracy of different turbulence models is analyzed by comparing numerical simulation results to physical experiment data.

A numerical simulation of the flow induced by rotation of the ducted fan blades of a quadcopter is carried out using the vortex-resolving approach that ass

To determine the aeroacoustic characteristics of a quadcopter, large eddies of a turbulent flow induced by a four-blade impeller are simulated. The acousti

The effect of the gap between the propeller tips and the inner wall of the duct ring on the thrust and available capacity of the ducted propeller propulsio

Ducted fans are widely used in vehicles with high supplied engine power per unit area swept by the propeller (hovercraft, vertical take-off and landing aircraft). Computational fluid dynamics is becoming a powerful tool for selecting the aerodynamic configurations of new aircraft and their engines, as well as determining their optimal operating modes. Full Navier–Stokes equations and various turbulence models are applied to simulate the flow induced by the rotation of the blades of the quadcopter propellers. The trust characteristics of the ducted fan are analyzed based on the results of numerical simulation in various flight modes, including hovering and oblique oncoming air flow. The influence of the tip clearance of the propeller and the inner wall of the duct on the thrust and power is reported.

The paper analyzes the problem of the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle with ducted fan propulsors in hovering mode over a flat landing platform. Num