Propeller Location Optimisation for Annular Wing Design

Most research today into the aerodynamics of ducts seeks to increase the thrust or eciency of a propeller nested inside. This study takes a dierent approach to duct design and instead examines the use of a duct as an annular wing with the primary function of generating lift for high speed, cruising ight. The variables of investigation for this research are the location of the propeller inside the annular wing and how the thrust generated by the propeller eects the performance of the wing at various angles of attack. This investigation utilises wind tunnel testing to measure the forces generated by the wing and computational uid dynamics to study the nature of the ow. The results show little dierence aerodynamically between fore and aft mounting locations for the propeller in non-stalled ight, however, a forward mounted propeller is shown to be preferable when the ight envelope also includes the stalled regime. In hover, the aft propeller is shown to be favourable.