Passive Flow Control of Ship Air Wakes

Passive flow control of ship air wakes was investigated to determine the impact of a solid, notched fence design and to determine the applicability of using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing to predict changes in ship air wakes. A solid, notched fence was mounted on the hangar and starboard edge of the flight deck of research vessel YP 676 at the United States Naval Academy. The fences were each 30% of the height of the hangar and were angled aft or outboard by 30 degrees. Numerical simulations, wind tunnel testing with a 4% scale model, and in situ measurements aboard YP 676 were conducted for a headwind condition. All three methods showed that the fences create a larger recirculation zone that is characterized by decreased stream wise velocity and increased velocity fluctuations at the center of the flight deck. This study also showed that CFD is a valid tool for predicting changes in ship air wakes from the addition of passive flow control devices.