The effect of Reynolds number on the performance of a modified NACA 2412 airfoil

Airfoils have numerous practical applications in the field of aerodynamics, which is why many efforts have been given to improve the performance of the airfoils. Literature suggests that using protuberances along the leading edge can improve airfoil performance remarkably. Literature also suggests that utilization of dimpled surface can improve airfoil performance. This paper considers a modified version of the NACA 2412 airfoil which has a sinusoidal leading edge as well as an outward dimpled upper surface and evaluates the performance of this modified airfoil with the change of Reynolds number at a different angle of attacks using CFD analysis. Laminar and turbulent as well as incompressible and compressible flow conditions are considered for the current study. The considered Reynolds numbers were 6 × 10⁴, 6 × 10⁵ and 6 × 10⁶. The airfoil was designed in the environment of Solidworks, and the CFD analysis was conducted in ANSYS Fluent environment. Results suggest that the modified airfoil model gives a better performance with an increase of turbulence. However, an increase of lift coefficient is not as significant as the reduction in drag coefficient with the increase of Reynolds number which affects the overall aerodynamic efficiency for a lower angle of attack.