Optimization study on airfoil aerodynamic performance with local indentation treatment based on drainage characteristics of dolphin fluke

Enhancing the aerodynamic performance of airfoils is the key to optimizing the energy harvesting efficiency of rotating machinery such as wind turbines. Motivated by the bowl-shaped outline of the dolphin's fluke during the propulsion process, this paper proposes a local indentation method that generates a concave region on the pressure surface of the airfoil. The NACA 0018 airfoil is selected as the reference airfoil, and two types of treatments are applied near the trailing edge point: rigid deformation and flexible deformation. Based on the grid quantity independence and experimental results validation, the results demonstrate that compared with the original airfoil, the local indentation method can modify the pressure distribution of the indentation section itself and optimize the airfoil's overall aerodynamic performance. The lift coefficient of the whole airfoil increases gradually with the rise in the indentation depth and reaches a stable value eventually. Quantitative results reveal that when the indentation depth D = 0.020c, the lift coefficient of the whole airfoil can increase by up to 26.27%; when the indentation depth D = 0.010c, the airfoil's lift-to-drag ratio reaches the maximum, which is 16.39% higher than that of the original airfoil. When replacing the rigid indentation section with a flexible medium, the fluid flowing over the pressure surface interacts with the flexible medium. The method of local indentation proposed in this paper can provide valuable reference for optimizing the aerodynamic profile of airfoils and improving the energy harvesting efficiency of wind turbines.