
Geometric Awareness in High-Order Numerical Modelling of Hydrofoils
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The aim of this contribution is to present a flexible and efficient software library developed for hydrodynamic performance prediction of hydrofoils and other boat and ship appendages. The simulations of the three dimensional flow past these streamlined bodies are based on the quasi-potential flow model. The resulting Laplace boundary value problem is discretized via a collocation Boundary Element Method (BEM) coupled, at the trailing edge, with a variational formulation of the nonlinear Kutta condition discretized via the Finite Element Method (FEM). Both the collocation BEM and FEM formulations are based on arbitrary order continuous Lagrangian shape functions. A distinctive feature of the solver is its geometric awareness. This capability allows for the solver to have access to the effective geometry of the streamlined body considered, and use it for tasks such as initial mesh refinement, addition of points as needed by high-order Lagrangian elements, or adaptive refinement. Preliminary results on canonical test cases, such as isolated rectangular and swept wing with NACA0012 airfoil section show good agreement with experimental results. Numerical calculations on more realistic T-shaped hydrofoil geometries will also be presented and discussed.