Data Driven Methodology for Decoupled Aircraft Wake Vortex Propagation Using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition

A new methodology is presented to simulate aircraft wake systems by decoupling the detailed high-lift wing geometry and the wake propagation through the implementation of an additional source term in the governing fluid transport equations. Initial high-fidelity CFD simulations are first computed, wherein the geometry of a medium-haul representative aircraft is altered to reflect changes in high-lift device deployment. A reduced-order-model (ROM) is then constructed from the CFD derived data to make realistic predictions of the spanwise loading between discrete high-lift deployment settings. Substitution of the spanwise loading is then performed on a per timestep basis to initialize the farfield wake simulation. The result of the farfield simulation showcased behavior mimicking the non-linear roll-up process, inherent in aircraft wake systems, without the need to simulate the parent geometry of interest or invoke traditional idealized vortex mathematical models.