CFD ANALYSIS: NACA 0012 AIRFOIL

Numerical aerodynamic modeling and validation against benchmark experimental data in STAR-CCM+.

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THE CHALLENGE

Evaluating how reliably CFD can predict lift, drag, and stall behavior on a wing profile across different angles of attack.

HOW

Simulated the Airfoil in STAR-CCM+: Built a 2D fluid domain around a NACA 0012 profile and ran steady-state RANS simulations across angles of attack from -15° to +15°.

Resolved the Boundary Layer: Applied fine prism layers along the airfoil wall to keep y+ < 5, ensuring accurate capture of near-wall flow without relying on wall approximations.
Refined the Mesh & Wake: Added local mesh refinement and a directed wake zone behind the trailing edge to properly track turbulence and vortices.
Compared Models & Discretization: Tested two turbulence models (k-omega vs. Spalart-Allmaras) and compared 1st-order vs. 2nd-order discretization schemes to find the most accurate setup.
Validated Against Experiments: Benchmarked all simulated lift (C_l) and drag (C_d) values directly against Abbott & von Doenhoff experimental wind tunnel data.

THE RESULTS

Strong Experimental Match: The simulation closely followed the physical lift slope from -10° to +10° and accurately predicted the onset of stall at 15°.

Model Selection: The Spalart-Allmaras model combined with 2nd-order discretization provided the closest match to experimental data and reduced numerical errors.

PORTFOLIO