Parametric Study of Fluid Injection Winglet on Aerodynamic Performance of the Wing

Abstract

The possibility of fluid injection winglets for reducing drag without increasing the wingspan of aircraft was investigated in this research. The study used a rectangular baseline wing made of NACA 0012 cross-sectional airfoil with zero-twist and a slot at the wingtip for fluid injections. The commercial CFD tool ANSYS Fluent solver was used to do the computational analysis. For the analysis, numerous parameters such as vertical and downward injection methods, injection velocity range, and range of angles of attack are taken into account. The injection velocities and aerodynamic characteristics such as coefficient of lift, drag, and L/D ratio are shown to have a strong relationship in this simulation. There was an improvement in the distribution of pressure around the wingtip. The reduction of wingtip vortices induced by vertical fluid injection causes a significant increase in the L/D ratio. In comparison to the upward injection method with increased angles of attack, the results reveal that downward fluid injection is better at enhancing aerodynamic efficiency.