Magnetic Force Effect on an Airfoil

Magnetic Force Effect on an Airfoil — ANSYS Fluent CFD Simulation

Description

This project presents a CFD simulation of the Magneto-Hydro-Dynamic (MHD) effect on a NACA 0015 airfoil — an example of active flow control, where an external field is used to manipulate the flow and improve aerodynamic performance. The NACA 0015 is a symmetric airfoil that produces no lift at zero angle of attack, making it an ideal baseline for isolating the influence of the magnetic force. In this project, you'll investigate flow separation and stall, then apply a magnetic force to see how it delays separation and boosts lift. Within the Magnetohydrodynamics & Electrohydrodynamics (MHD & EHD): All Levels CFD Training Package, this project applies the magnetic field effect to an external aerodynamic body, building on the fundamental MHD flow case toward active flow control on a lifting surface.

Methodology

The 2D airfoil geometry is designed in Design Modeler and meshed in ANSYS Meshing with an unstructured triangular mesh around the airfoil. The MHD module in ANSYS Fluent is enabled and configured to apply a magnetic force to the flow — a magnetic body force that acts on the boundary layer. The study is set up as a comparative one: the lift coefficient is evaluated across multiple angles of attack, both with and without the MHD effect, so the influence of the magnetic force can be isolated directly. This allows the flow separation point and the maximum angle of attack before separation to be identified in each case.

Analysis

Post-processing produces velocity and pressure contours, streamlines, and velocity vectors that visualize the boundary-layer energizing and the increased leading-edge suction. The comparative study demonstrates that the magnetic force accelerates the boundary-layer flow, keeping it attached to the surface and delaying stall to a larger angle of attack — raising the lift coefficient relative to the case without MHD. From these results you can see exactly how the magnetic body force controls separation and improves aerodynamic performance. Active flow control via MHD and plasma actuators is a frontier topic in aerospace and energy, and the MHD-module workflow learned here applies to lift enhancement, drag reduction, stall delay, and flow-control research across aircraft, turbines, and high-speed vehicles. By the end of this project, you'll be able to enable and configure the MHD module in ANSYS Fluent, apply a magnetic body force to a flow, run a comparative lift study across angles of attack, and interpret the velocity and pressure fields that reveal how the field delays separation and enhances lift.