Effects of Location and Height of Vortex Generators on Aerodynamic Performance of NACA 4412 Airfoil

• Published in: Periodica polytechnica. Transportation engineering Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 267 - 276
• Main Authors: Solnay, Dénes Ágoston, Molnár, József, Lakatos, István
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Budapest Periodica Polytechnica, Budapest University of Technology and Economics 01.07.2025
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Aerospace industry; Airfoils; Computational fluid dynamics; Drag reduction; Energy industry; Flow velocity; Fluid dynamics; Investigations; Kinematics; Lift; Reynolds number; Transportation engineering; Turbulence models; Vortex generators; Vortices
• ISSN: 0303-7800; 1587-3811
• DOI: 10.3311/PPtr.38258

This study focuses on the aerodynamic effect of vortex generators (VGs) placed on the wing surface, with a focus on the height and chordwise position of the VGs. NACA 4412 airfoil was used for the investigation, which is a frequently used and well-researched airfoil in the aerospace industry, with a chord length (c) of 200 mm. Six different configurations have been analyzed with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), with three chordwise positions (x) and two trailing edge heights (h). The results showed that VGs placed furthest from the leading edge (x/c = 20%) were able to increase lift and reduce drag to the greatest extent. In terms of height, the shorter (h/c = 0.5%) VGs produced the most lift. These results provide valuable insights as to how vortex generator design can be optimized for aerodynamic performance across various operating conditions.