A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation
As the use of multi-rotors is becoming common, understanding how the wake vortices develop and decay from a multi-rotor is important to reduce the effect of wake vortices on other multi-rotors and ensure their safety during operation by applying a wake separation minima. This paper proposes a method...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Conference Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2022
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155248 |
| _version_ | 1811681785686261760 |
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| author | Nathanael, Joshua Christian Wang, John Chung-Hung Low, Kin Huat |
| author2 | School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering |
| author_facet | School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Nathanael, Joshua Christian Wang, John Chung-Hung Low, Kin Huat |
| author_sort | Nathanael, Joshua Christian |
| collection | NTU |
| description | As the use of multi-rotors is becoming common, understanding how the wake vortices develop and decay from a multi-rotor is important to reduce the effect of wake vortices on other multi-rotors and ensure their safety during operation by applying a wake separation minima. This paper proposes a method of flow simulation in ANSYS Fluent to study the decay of wake vortices from quadrotor propellers as the vortices evolve over distance and time. First, the near-field wake flow from the quadrotor propellers was simulated using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence model. The velocity profile in the quadrotor frame of reference was then extracted to be applied for a flow simulation using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The circulation strength as a function of distance could then be calculated, but it was limited by the length of the computational grid due to the wake flow being seen from the quadrotor frame of reference. To change into the stationary frame of reference, the interpolation data from the first stage LES was exported and modified by subtracting the freestream velocity from the velocity component in the freestream direction. The modified interpolation data was then used for the second stage LES, and the circulation strength in terms of time could be calculated from the resulting wake flow. Three cases of flow simulation are presented in this paper: first using 380-mm-diameter propellers based on the SUI Endurance quadrotor propellers with forward flight speed of 6 m/s, second using the 380-mm-diameter propellers with 12 m/s speed, and third using 240-mm-diameter propellers (similar to the propellers of DJI Phantom quadrotor) with 12 m/s speed. Findings regarding the decay of wake vortex from multi-rotor vehicles will help in determining the safe separation distance required to mitigate the hazards due to wake vortex encounters and ensure the safety of multi-rotor vehicles. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:46:28Z |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | ntu-10356/155248 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:46:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1552482022-02-26T20:11:17Z A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation Nathanael, Joshua Christian Wang, John Chung-Hung Low, Kin Huat School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering AIAA SCITECH 2022 Forum Air Traffic Management Research Institute Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Aerodynamics Flight Simulators Interpolation As the use of multi-rotors is becoming common, understanding how the wake vortices develop and decay from a multi-rotor is important to reduce the effect of wake vortices on other multi-rotors and ensure their safety during operation by applying a wake separation minima. This paper proposes a method of flow simulation in ANSYS Fluent to study the decay of wake vortices from quadrotor propellers as the vortices evolve over distance and time. First, the near-field wake flow from the quadrotor propellers was simulated using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence model. The velocity profile in the quadrotor frame of reference was then extracted to be applied for a flow simulation using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The circulation strength as a function of distance could then be calculated, but it was limited by the length of the computational grid due to the wake flow being seen from the quadrotor frame of reference. To change into the stationary frame of reference, the interpolation data from the first stage LES was exported and modified by subtracting the freestream velocity from the velocity component in the freestream direction. The modified interpolation data was then used for the second stage LES, and the circulation strength in terms of time could be calculated from the resulting wake flow. Three cases of flow simulation are presented in this paper: first using 380-mm-diameter propellers based on the SUI Endurance quadrotor propellers with forward flight speed of 6 m/s, second using the 380-mm-diameter propellers with 12 m/s speed, and third using 240-mm-diameter propellers (similar to the propellers of DJI Phantom quadrotor) with 12 m/s speed. Findings regarding the decay of wake vortex from multi-rotor vehicles will help in determining the safe separation distance required to mitigate the hazards due to wake vortex encounters and ensure the safety of multi-rotor vehicles. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) National Research Foundation (NRF) Accepted version This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, under the Aviation Transformation Programme on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the area of Separation Minima. 2022-02-22T05:36:11Z 2022-02-22T05:36:11Z 2022 Conference Paper Nathanael, J. C., Wang, J. C. & Low, K. H. (2022). A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation. AIAA SCITECH 2022 Forum, 2022-0155-. https://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0155 9781624106316 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155248 10.2514/6.2022-0155 2-s2.0-85122684731 2022-0155 en © 2022 Nanyang Technological University. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved. This paper was published in Proceedings of AIAA SCITECH 2022 Forum and is made available with permission of Nanyang Technological University. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Aerodynamics Flight Simulators Interpolation Nathanael, Joshua Christian Wang, John Chung-Hung Low, Kin Huat A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation |
| title | A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation |
| title_full | A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation |
| title_fullStr | A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation |
| title_short | A study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using Large Eddy Simulation |
| title_sort | study on circulation strength decay over time of quadrotor wake using large eddy simulation |
| topic | Engineering::Aeronautical engineering::Aerodynamics Flight Simulators Interpolation |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155248 |
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