Analysis Vortex Generator

ABSTRACT

Elang Laut (EL-25) is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by PT. Carita Boat Indonesia, has 6 meters wing span and 120 kg in MTOW, the aircraft designed for borderline surveillance mission. This paper focus on analyzing the wing’s aerodynamic characteristic of this aircraft if the tiny fins called vortex generator (VG) is assembled.  The fins delays the airflow separation and stalling, they also produce higher wing's lift coefficient and critical angle of attack. The Vortex Generator designed using CAD software and the models presented here shows some configurations (co-rotating and counter-rotating) with vortex generator assembled to the original EL-25 wing. Each configurations then numerically analyzed in CFD simulation using ANSYS Fluent software to predict the alteration of the wing aerodynamic characteristic, especially the lift and drag coefficient. The process result at the increase of the wing's maximum lift coefficient by 15.30%, from 1.3695 to 1.5873, for 30%c counter-rotating “common flow down” configuration. With the highest increase of drag coefficient occurred at 34.94% from 0.1116 initial condition at 13^o angle of attack for counter-rotating "common flow up" configuration. The number of lift to drag ratio also increasing by 6.13% at 6^o angle of attack for VG 16%c "common flow down" configuration, from 19.293 to 20.477.