Computational fluid dynamics analysis of downforce and drag generated by an accessory flat plate wing on the Teardrop 2.0
Abstract
We use computational fluid dynamics to calculate the hydrodynamic downforce generated by an accessory flat plate wing when attached to a model of the Teardrop 2.0 submersible. The Teardrop 2.0 is a towed submersible device used to survey shallow coral reefs. In operation, the Teardrop 2.0 can experience unintended changes in depth due to lift and cable tension from drag. In this study, a full scale computer generated reconstruction of the Teardrop 2.0 is fitted with a flat plate wing. This model is then subjected to fluid tunnel simulations using CFD software. At fixed operating speeds, the modified Teardrop 2.0 is found to increase in downforce and drag. Despite this increase in drag, the addition of the accessory wing is found to lower the drag-to-downforce ratio of the Teardrop 2.0 from 8.5 to 2.7, showing that the accessory wing increases downforce more than it increases drag.
