Reduced-order Modeling of Laminar Boundary Layers

In external aerodynamic applications such as flow over an airfoil, the number of computational volumes

in the laminar and transitional region can be greater than that of the turbulent region by up to two

orders of magnitude in a wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES) (Slotnick, et al., 2014). The high

computational cost of this region is a barrier to the application of WMLES to transitional flows of

engineering interest, such as the flow near the leading edge of wings. Prior work (Gonzalez, et al., 2020)

implemented a reduced order model for laminar boundary layers based on the Falkner-Skan similarity

solution. This model was then tested in stagnation flow and a spatially varying pressure gradient

boundary layer and the results were in good agreement with the Navier Stokes solutions. In this

investigation, we present a further assessment of the model when applied to a NACA0012 airfoil. We

evaluate the accuracy of engineering quantities of interest, such as wall-stress, lift, and drag. In addition,

the model is integrated with the parabolized stability equations in order to identify the onset of

transition.