Unsteady Aerodynamic Analysis on Sonic Anemometer-Mounting System Using OpenFOAM

Numerical computations using scale-adaptive simulation Shear Stress Transport were employed to investigate the flow interactions around a sonic anemometer-mounting structure, used as an onboard instrument for UAVs for turbulent flow assessment. This study is carried out using the open-source CFD OpenFOAM where turbulence structures and aerodynamic forces are analyzed. The main unsteady feature is the predominant near-wall turbulent structures, which may be caused by the local geometry. The spectral analysis of forces suggests that unsteady interactions between turbulent flow and sonic anemometer-mounting structure are taking place. The following aspects are of particular focus: (1) What types of turbulent flow patterns exist in this complex geometry, and (2) How do these turbulence structures affect the aerodynamic forces.