Analyses on ducted tail rotor and airfoil aerodynamic characteristics with CFD

To establish a method for the calculations in the field of rotor aerodynamics.Design/methodology/approach – The calculations of the lift‐drag characteristics of OAF and NACA63A312 airfoils at low speed are made using Jameson/TVD mixed scheme. By means of finite volume approach for numerical discretization and Runge‐Kutta time‐stepping advance, Euler/Navier‐Stokes equations are solved. Furthermore, a model based on circular tiny segment momentum theory and blade element theory is established to study the thrust and power of ducted tail rotor.Findings – The results of the calculation demonstrate the feasibility of the established method for analyzing ducted tail rotor aerodynamic characteristics.Research limitations/implications – Although the global thrust and power of ducted tail‐rotor could be obtained using current method, the exact flow filed (such as shroud pressure field and the flow over fan blade) calculations still rely on the complex three‐dimensional CFD technique that should be studied in future.Practical implications – A very useful method for the preliminary design of the ducted tail rotor.Originality/value – By comparing the calculated results with those of relevant experiment, it is proved that the method developed here is suitable for the calculations in the field of rotor aerodynamics.