Study of airwake suppression arrangement of flat-deck based on columnar vortex generator

Objectives As crucial naval assets, the safety and precision of carrier-based aircraft during takeoff and landing are significantly impacted by the ship's airwake. This study investigates the positional arrangement of Columnar Vortex Generators (CVG) to mitigate the ship airwake, thereby enhancing the safety and precision of carrier-based aircraft operations. Methods The Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) method, a hybrid LES / RANS approach, was employed to conduct numerical simulations on ship models featuring different CVG configurations. Velocity monitoring points were strategically placed at critical locations to capture airwake fluctuations, reflecting the suppression effectiveness of various CVG arrangements. Results The bow CVG device can transform separated flow at the bow into attached flow, increasing the airflow velocity within the separation zone by a factor of 5.3. The stern CVG device, specifically for the glide path region, reduces high-frequency components above 0.8 Hz in the stern wake by 50–60 dB. Compared to the bow CVG alone, the combined CVG configuration reduces the power spectral density of velocity at monitoring points 5 and 6 by approximately 30 dB below 0.8 Hz and by 50–60 dB above 0.8 Hz, while also increasing the incoming flow velocity by 18.3%. Conclusions The bow CVG device can convert flow separation at the bow into attached flow. The stern CVG device reduces flow separation at the stern and confines turbulent wake below the glide path. The combined CVG configuration exhibits the most effective wake suppression, significantly reducing the velocity power spectral density in the bow, landing, and glide path regions, while also increasing the incoming flow velocity at both the bow and stern. For the glide path region, the CVG demonstrates more pronounced suppression of high-frequency wake components. To achieve suppression of low-frequency wake, modifications to the CVG layout or geometric parameters may be necessary.