Vortical Interactions Behind Deployable Vortex Generator for Airfoil Static Stall Control

An OA209 airfoil equipped with an innovative deployable vortex generator device is investigated through static stall numerical simulations. Computations are performed by solving the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the elsA code, which is developed by the Office National d'Etudes et de Recherche Aerospatiale–the French Aerospace Lab. Deployable vortex generator computations are compared to a wide set of experimental data, and the actuator effect on the airfoil boundary layer is highlighted. Detailed flow analysis provides an understanding of the vortex generation mechanisms, and the influence of initial vortex interactions and merging over the control effect is shown. The influence of the deployable vortex generator thickness on static stall control efficiency is finally investigated through simulations featuring a deployable vortex generator of reduced thickness.