Gradient Transport Correction (GTC): A General Confinement Method for Better Simulation of Rotor Wake and Vortex-Dominated Flows, Phase I

CFD modeling and simulation has been heavily invested in decades of manpower by a large community of researchers. However, the excessive numerical diffusion inherently caused by discretization errors plus the possibly largest/finest grid requirement for rotor wake modeling prevents CFD to be routinely used in practical engineering calculations. The proposed Gradient Transport Correction (GTC) method provides an innovative artificial compression that can serves as a general confinement for greatly enhancing the resolution of rotor wake capturing while significantly reducing the grid requirement. In this proposal, we have demonstrated the great potential of GTC method to counteract the numerical dissipation and absolutely preserve the wake vortical structure with a small number of grid cells. Phase I will develop an initial capability, and the capability to be established in Phase I will be developed into a general engineering tool that has engineering analysis accuracy as well as transparent set-up for a broad range of important engineering calculations, such as computing hover performance, high-lift and separation flows, as well as various types of multiple rotors.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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