Potential Flow Simulation of Cascade of Airfoils

using Panel Method

Assignment
Dipanjan Barman
ME (SR: 10171)
January 11, 2015

Examiner:
Prof. Raghuraman N. Govardhan
Indian Institute of Science
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Panel method is used to simulate potential flow over a cascade of airfoils. An infinite
linear cascade of airfoils (in z1 plane) has been transformed to single shape (in z2 plane).
The transformation used is:
z1
z2 = tanh(
)
h
where,
z1 = complex coordinates of airfoils in z1 plane
h = spacing between blades along the stagger line
After this transformation all the blades in z1 plane coincides on the same place in z2 plane.
So simulating flow past this shape in z2 plane, when transformed back to z1 plane gives
the solution of flow past cascade of airfoils.
The uniform flow in z1 plane after transformation in z2 plane becomes one source and a
vortex (upstream ) at (+1,0) and similarly one sink and a vortex downstream at (1,0)
when the flow is coming from right side. If,
V1 = velocity of upstream flow in z1 plane, V2 = velocity of downstream flow in z1 plane
1 = angle of attack in the upstream flow, 2 = angle at flow leaves in downstream
then,
upstream = V1 h sin 1
Q = V1 h cos 1
V2 cos 2 = V1 cos 1
downstream = V2 h sin 2
The shape in z2 plane is divided in several panels (n) and constant vorticity (j ) is
assumed over each panel. One point in each panel is assumed to be control point (P (x, y)).
Next the induced velocity is calculated in each control point for all the vortices (j ) including upstream and downstream and source and sink. The velocity component (v)
perpendicular to the panel surface is zero and this is our boundary condition.
vi =

n
X
j=1
j6=i

(xi xj+1 )2 + (yi yj+1 )2 upstream

xi 1
j
ln

4
(xi xj )2 + (yi yj )2
2
(xi 1)2 + yi2
+

downstream
Q
yi
xi + 1

2
2 (xi 1)2 + yi
2
(xi + 1)2 + yi2
Q
yi

2 (xi + 1)2 + yi2

The component of velocity parallel to panel is,

ui =

n
X
j=1
j6=i

upstream
j
yi
yi
yi
tan1
tan1

2
xi xj+1
xi xj
2
(xi 1)2 + yi2
"

Q
xi 1
yi
downstream
2
2
2 (xi 1) + yi
2
(xi + 1)2 + yi2
Q
xi + 1

2 (xi + 1)2 + yi2

where,
i = control points
j = panel coordinates
z2 = x + iy
Boundary condition, vi = 0 i = 1 n
Here upstream and Q are known and downstream , V2 , 2 and all j are unknown.
Total vorticity (blade ) around the blade,
blade =

n
X

(j + j+1 )h
2
j=1

blade = upstream + downstream

downstream =

n
X

(j + j+1 )h
upstream
2
j=1

Now we have equation where there are only n values of are unknown. So now we have n
linear equations. Writing them in matrix form,

a
a12
11

a21 a22

a31 a32

..
..
.
.

an1 an2

a13
a23
a33
..
.
an3

{z

. . . a1n 1
b

1


. . . a2n 2 b2




. . . a3n
3 = b3


..
..
. . . ..
.
.
.


. . . ann n
bn
}

Solving,
[] = A1 B

| {z }
B

Once we have the values then u can be calculated. The u calculated in z2 plane is
transformed back to z1 plane. Complex velocity w = u iv.
w|z1 = w|z2

z1
sech2
h
h


The following plots show the results. For my case flow comes from left direction.

Figure 1: CP , coefficient of pressure distribution over the airfoil at 1 = 100

Figure 2: velocity distribution over the airfoil in z2 plane at 1 = 100

Figure 3: coefficient of lift vs. angle of attack

Figure 4: flow turning (1 2 ) vs. solidity ratio