A multigrid Navier-Stokes CFD code for rotor computations Original Research Article

This paper presents the development of a multigrid Navier-Stokes code TLNS3DR for rotary wing calculations. The TLNS3DR is developed from the fixed-wing TLNS3D code by including a rotation term and making necessary modifications on boundary conditions. The TLNS3D code solves the thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations using an explicit multistage Runge-Kutta type of time stepping with multigrid method. The TLNS3DR code reformulates the TLNS3D code in the rotor blade-fixed moving frame of reference and solves relative motion of fluids. In this paper, the formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations in the moving frame of reference in terms of relative velocity is given. Several numerical examples are then presented. The results of rotor blade in hover calculated by the new TLNS3DR code seem quantitative correct. The computation also shows that this multigrid code is efficient.