https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01771-0
Regular Article
Static-stall prediction of airfoils at high Reynolds numbers using hybrid RANS–LES models
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, 673601, Kerala, India
2
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, 502285, Telangana, India
a
saisakethachandra@nitc.ac.in
Received:
28
March
2025
Accepted:
25
June
2025
Published online:
8
July
2025
This study aims to examine the efficacy of two hybrid Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) models in simulating the flow characteristics around airfoils in the vicinity of the stall angle (ranging from 
) at a Reynolds number of 6 million. The turbulence models under consideration include the Spalart-Allmaras Unsteady RANS (SA), SA-Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (SA-DDES), and SA-Kolmogorov’s Large Eddy Simulation (kLES) models. The two hybrid models exhibit fundamental differences in their approach to sub-grid scale modeling, while also including the Spalart-Allmaras URANS (SA) model in proximity to walls. The calculations are conducted using an in-house compressible flow solver using unstructured grids. The airfoils that were examined in this research are the symmetric NACA-0012 and the asymmetric MS(1)-0317. Appropriate grid resolutions were developed to accurately model the near-wall region using the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) model and the distant flow field using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) models. The numerical findings indicate that the two hybrid models and the URANS model provide comparable levels of accuracy in predicting the pre- and post-stall lift coefficient (
) for both airfoils. Nevertheless, the two hybrid models have superior predictive capabilities over the URANS model in exhibiting 3D vortical structures inside the post-stall flow.
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Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
