Exergetic Drag Characteristic Curves

Abstract

This paper aims to perform a drag breakdown of an airfoil and a wing by using the exergetic method. Moreover, a new far-field wave anergy extraction method is presented. The resulting exergetic drag curves are proposed as additional characteristic curves for external aerodynamic assessment of airfoils or any other bodies. CFD analyses of a NACA 0012 airfoil and a rectangular wing at subsonic and transonic conditions were used as test cases to present the concept. This new approach allows to deeply understand the aerodynamic behavior of a body and provides an alternative point of view to the classical near-field and far-field based drag curves.