Separation bubble

[Fidippide]

How can I display separation bubble with XFOIL on the surface of a NACA simmetric 4 digit profile? Thanks.

[tspeer]

How can I display separation bubble with XFOIL on the surface of a NACA simmetric 4 digit profile? Thanks.
The boundary layer calculation in XFOIL is an integral method, so it doesn't actually calculate the details of the flow in a separation bubble the way, say, a Navier Stokes code would do. Instead, it calculates parameters that determine the overall characteristics of the boundary layer.

You can often spot the separation bubble in the pressure distribution. It will be characterized by a nearly flat spot that extends out from the inviscid distribution, then rapidly drops to the inviscid distribution after transition occurs within the bubble. Here's an example:
http://www.tspeer.com/Wingmasts/teardropPaper_files/image002.gif

From the OPER menu, you can go to the VPLO menu and plot the skin friction. The skin friction will be negative or zero in the region of separated flow. The shape factor (H) plot can also be useful.

The BL command from the OPER menu will plot boundary layer velocity profiles. Or use the BLC to plot a specific velocity profile on the airfoil of the CPX plot. Look for profiles with inflection points.

[Petros]

Many years ago when I worked in aerodynamics with the early 2-D and 3-D main frame programs, we would create a foil shape by combining the foil with the attached separation bubble, estimated from the stream line data and the method Tom outlined above. this gave strange, really thick sections, but it worked.

The program would build the boundary layer over the outside of the combined separation bubble and airfoil shape to approximate the actual airflow. It gave fairly good approximations of the lift and moment coefficients, the drag was never very accurate. If I recall, X-foil is a fairly simple program that might work the same way.

[daiquiri]

...we would create a foil shape by combining the foil with the attached separation bubble, estimated from the stream line data and the method Tom outlined above. this gave strange, really thick sections, but it worked.

It sounds to me like you have created Stratford pressure distribution over the airfoil. If so, the final result you had obtained must have been something like Liebeck's airfoil shape?

[Petros]

That looks about right, but there was a think surface trailing way behind the TE from the separated flow causing a very thick boundary layer.

[tspeer]

...If I recall, X-foil is a fairly simple program that might work the same way.

XFOIL has an inviscid panel code coupled with an inverse integral boundary layer method. The boundary layer method specifies the skin friction at the surface and calculates the resulting pressures. The boundary layer and the outer flow solution are iterated together to converge on the solution. The boundary layer method is basically the same as used in the ISES & MSES codes. It is capable of handling limited amounts of separation, where direct boundary layer methods (that calculate the skin friction given the pressures) cannot. This is a much more sophisticated capability than the earlier methods of loosely coupling the boundary layer and outer flow solutions.

ISES/MSES use an Euler method for the outer flowfield instead of potential flow, which gives them the ability to handle compressible flows better. But at low speeds, XFOIL is state of the art.

[daiquiri]

Can someone please tell me if there is a GUI version of XFOIL available?
Also, do you know if any research has been done in order to verify the degree of error given by XFOIL when treating flows separated at leading/trailing edge, and flows with separation bubbles?

[tspeer]

Check out Profili (http://www.profili2.com/).

There's been a lot of validation of XFOIL.
Here's a small sample:
http://www.ewec2009proceedings.info/allfiles2/431_EWEC2009presentation.pdf
http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public/PubFullText/RTO/MP/RTO-MP-AVT-168/MP-AVT-168-32.doc
http://waste-environment.vin.bg.ac.yu/energija/proceedings/18%20%20195-200%20str.%20Parezanovic%20.pdf
http://waste-environment.vin.bg.ac.yu/energija/proceedings/18%20%20195-200%20str.%20Parezanovic%20.pdf
http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public/PubFullText/RTO/MP/RTO-MP-AVT-168/MP-AVT-168-32.pdf
http://www.mandhsoaring.com/Why%20Winglets/TS-03.pdf