Transition Prediction
 

Hello,

I'm currently working on a project on prediction of transition from laminar to turbulent flow and its effect on drag for various airfoils.

I just have started using CFD (Fluent) and I've only covered basics so far. My question is if there is a fairly easy way to predict transition or if this would be way to difficult for a simple uni project?

Cheers, Peter

Re: Transition Prediction
 

If by simple uni project you mean PhD thesis, then it might be a good project. If you mean a short project for a class, no way. One problem is that different parts of the foil will undergo transition at different times. It isn't just when transition will occur, but when and where. A second problem is that transition isn't a lightswitch. It could occur differently for different areas on the foil.

There is a reason that the aerospace industry typically designs a wing to be either laminar always or turbulent always.

Re: Transition Prediction
 

Thank you for your answer! It would be only a short project for a class, so I better look for a different project. But thx anyway!