Modelling of Vortex Generators within the Integral Boundary-Layer Theory

One of the most commonly used flow control techniques to trim the aerodynamic performance of wind turbine blades are vortex generators. This passive device, which does not require any active energy, is gaining an increasing interest in this sector especially due to the trend of increasing wind turbine size. Vortex generators are a flow control...

Efficacy of Linearized Aerodynamic CFD Modeling for Flutter Computation

Aeroelastic stability must be maintained for the entire flight duration. Of the vast phenomena that fall under the field of aeroelasticity, flutter is the most studied and influential in terms of driving aircraft design. As such, it is the main topic of analysis of this Master Thesis. For flutter analysis, it is of critical importance to...

Experiments for Gas-Liquid Flow in a vertical Annulus

Shifting from coal and oil towards sustainable energy sources is currently an urgent and global challenge. Compared to coal and oil, natural gas is a cleaner fossil fuel and may serve as a transition fuel. To meet future demands for gas there is a desire to optimize the production from existing reservoirs with their production facilities. In...

Analysis of Large Civil Tilt Rotor Wind Tunnel Blockage and Validation Using RotCFD

Ground based experiments are used to understand and measure rotor and airframe aerodynamic performance. However, these experiments have certain limitations. The effect of these limitations are evaluated using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling techniques. Through this study, the 7- by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel experiments of the Large Civil...

Implementation of a vortex particle scheme to analyze the wake of a wind turbine modeled using actuator lines

The efficiency of a wind turbine depends largely on the wake of the upstream turbine. Seeking to contribute towards the development of a wind farm solver using a Lagrangian scheme to analyze the wake, this thesis analyses and validates (using MATLAB) a Vortex Particle Method (VPM) algorithm by simulating the behavior of vortex rings. Due to the...

Implementation of a Fluid-Structure Interaction Solver for a Spinnaker Sail

The design of sails has always been done experimentally, and only recently simulations are starting to be used in the design process. This thesis is a first attempt in creating a solver that couples CFD and FEM in order to compute the deformed sail shape (flying shape) and the thrust it can provide. Such solvers already exist but are not...

Drag analysis of full scale cyclist model using large scale 4D-PTV: An accuracy assessment

Laser diagnostic techniques such as Particle Image Velocimetry and Particle Tracking Velocimetry to measure the flow of a fluid around an object have been in prevalence for a few decades. Typically, the fluid, whose motion is of interest, is seeded with micron scale particles and illuminated with a laser. Due to scattering inefficiencies of...

Integrated Aerodynamic and Structural Measurements of the Gust Response of a Flexible Wing with Robotic PIV

Experimental aeroelastic data is often needed in order to validate the output of fluid-structure interaction numerical simulations or to gain insight into the physics of a problem without the need of intermediate modelling. Traditional measurement approaches in wind tunnels have relied on the simultaneous use of several measurement systems ...

On the unsteady development of the flow under transonic Buffet conditions: Experimental study of the interaction of shock and pressure waves using PIV and Schlieren visualization

This thesis presents an experimental study of the unsteady phenomenon known as transonic buffet. Completely developed in the High Speed Lab of the Aerospace Faculty at TU Delft (The Netherlands), the experiments were conducted in the transonic/supersonic wind tunnel TST-27. In order to achieve time and spatial resolution of the phenomenon, high...

Aerodynamic investigation of the near wake flow topology on a two-man bobsleigh

Drag measurements on bluff-bodies such as bobsleighs using force balance systems have been in prevalence for a few decades. However these studies do not reveal anything on the flow behaviour around the body. In the recent past, various flow visualization techniques have been applied to investigate the flow behaviour around bobsleighs. Even...

Surface Pressure Measurements using Coaxial Volumetric Velocimetry: Investigation on an Inverted Wing in Ground Effect

In experimental aerodynamics, pressure is an important parameter which provides insight into the various features of the flow around the test object. By obtaining the surface pressure information, various inferences can be drawn such as flow separation, local flow velocity etc. Traditionally, the most common method of obtaining pressure has been...

Experiments and Modelling of Gas-Liquid Flow in a Vertical Annulus

The climate change agreements require large investments in renewable energies. However, with the increasing demand for energy, immediately stopping the production and use of fossil fuels is not realistic. Natural gas is twice as clean as coal and hence could be considered as a transition fuel, which can help to find a balance between the...