Implementation and validation of a new actuator disk model in SU2

The flow induced by rotary wings is an important topic in many fields and it is crucial in Aeronautics for the airframe integration. The simplest model adopted to simulate the effects of a rotary wing in the flow field is the actuator disk model which requires low computational cost in computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) analyses. Nowadays, many research programs all over the world are investigating the possibility to use distributed electric propulsion systems by propellers so that an advanced actuator disk model is fundamental for performance prediction by fast CFD analyses. A simple actuator disk model was implemented in the open source software SU2 up to the release 7.0.6. A new and more general model, just implemented in SU2, is described; its application is discussed with different test cases and a procedure based on the optimal propeller theory for the automatic generation of the actuator disk input is provided.