Hello all,

Is there a straightforward 2D flow simulation software out there that would let me test some ideas for a home built wind turbine?

I'm not looking for aerospace engineering software that does supersonic flows and so on. Just a flow simulator that would let me input an arbitrary shape (like a 2D airfoil section) and visualize how air would flow around it at regular wind speeds.

I've found Java applets that do this for airfoil shapes but nothing so far that lets you input an arbitrarily shaped section instead of a 'classic' airfoil shape.

If anybody knows of such a tool for Windows please point me in the right direction.

Regards,

WT

You can use this website.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/FoilSim/index.html

You can change angle of attack, camber, chord, wing span, area, etc.

I hope this helps.

Something like this but with the ability to simulate an arbitrary shape (not just a "wing" section).

Have you considered a panel method? Find our more.

This looks interesting. Thanks. I will try it out.

Hi, WT,

Well, the engine powering the Flow Illustrator

(see http://chernyshenko.sesnet.soton.ac.uk/FIHome.htm)

is actually a full Navier-Stokes solver, and you can input an arbitrary shape, even a photograph, and get a result in a few minutes. The accuracy, however, is controlled by the image resolution, and the output is just a movie of the flow.

Anyway, you may play with it and see if it of any use for you.

Regards Sergei

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