Semester Project – ETH Zürich, Institute of Fluid Dynamics
This project was developed during my Master’s studies in Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zürich, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Patrick Jenny. It focuses on one of the most challenging and fascinating areas of aerodynamics — active control of flow separation to increase lift efficiency on aircraft wings.
The study investigates the concept of momentum injection through a slat located on the suction side of a wing. By injecting a small amount of high-energy air into the boundary layer, the method aims to delay or even prevent flow separation, enhancing aerodynamic performance during takeoff and landing.
The work combines mathematical modeling, numerical methods, and turbulence analysis to understand how active flow control could lead to more efficient, sustainable aircraft designs.
The numerical solver developed for this project is based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, reduced to a parabolic boundary-layer form. Using a k–ω turbulence model and finite-difference discretization, the solver can simulate complex flow behaviors over both uniform and non-uniform meshes.
The model was validated against experimental data from literature, achieving excellent agreement in predicting turbulent boundary layers and trailing-edge separation. The results confirm the solver’s ability to capture boundary-layer dynamics with high numerical accuracy and computational efficiency.
This project reflects my deep interest in computational fluid dynamics and numerical modeling.
It’s part of an ongoing journey to explore how mathematics and physics can improve real-world engineering design.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss it further.