Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Vortex Generator on the Aerodynamic Performance of NACA 6412 Airfoils Using Large Eddy Simulation

Authors

Dedet Hermawan Setiabudi, Mechanical Engineering, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology, Jl. Janti / Jl. Majapahit Blok-R Yogyakarta 55198, IndonesiaFollow
Joan Bayuaji Nugroho, Mechanical Engineering, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology, Jl. Janti / Jl. Majapahit Blok-R Yogyakarta 55198, IndonesiaFollow
Eli Kumolosari, Mechanical Engineering, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology, Jl. Janti / Jl. Majapahit Blok-R Yogyakarta 55198, IndonesiaFollow
Lazuardy Rahendra Pinandhita, Aerospace Engineering, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology, Jl. Janti / Jl. Majapahit Blok-R Yogyakarta 55198, IndonesiaFollow
Okto Dinaryanto, Mechanical Engineering, Adisutjipto Institute of Aerospace Technology, Jl. Janti / Jl. Majapahit Blok-R Yogyakarta 55198, IndonesiaFollow

Abstract

Aerodynamic performance of an airfoil is significantly affected by flow separation, especially at high angles of attack. One common strategy to control flow separation is adding a triangular vortex generator (VG), which creates small vortices that help keep the airflow attached. The present study investigated the impact of triangular vortex generators on a NACA 6412 airfoil using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) was applied due to its ability to show the vortices more clearly than other methods. It can also accurately capture the flow separation. To obtain the lift, drag, and lift-to-drag ratio (CL/CD) data, four angles of attack (0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°) and four velocities (10, 15, 20, and 25 m/s) were examined. The results indicate that at low AoA, VG increases drag and decreases aerodynamic efficiency. VG, on the other hand, makes flow attachment better, delays separation, and narrows the wake region at medium to high angles of attack. The most improvement in CL/CD, up to 83%, occurred at AoA of 15°. These results show that adding triangular VG can improve aerodynamic efficiency in critical situations close to stall and lay the groundwork for creating more advanced flowcontrol systems in more complicated aerodynamic situations.

Recommended Citation

Setiabudi, Dedet Hermawan; Nugroho, Joan Bayuaji; Kumolosari, Eli; Pinandhita, Lazuardy Rahendra; and Dinaryanto, Okto (2025) "Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Vortex Generator on the Aerodynamic Performance of NACA 6412 Airfoils Using Large Eddy Simulation," Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST): Vol. 9: No. 2, Article 14.
Available at: https://citeus.um.ac.id/jmest/vol9/iss2/14