News & Media

Preliminary CFD of HKUST Campus

AAF performed a preliminary CFD of the HKUST campus area. This demonstration case was performed on the HKUST HPC system. The simulation was performed using the OpenFOAM CFD suite. 

The computational grid was developed using Geographic Information System (GIS) databases of the building and local terrain. The computational domain extends a region of 2 km by 1.5 km. The domain height ranged by 530 m to cover the local mountainous terrain, as well as a sufficient portion of the local atmosphere. 

The results plotted in this demonstrate the preliminary flow field of Category 5 hurricane-force winds coming from the East. 

Small-Scale UAV Propeller Wind Tunnel Testing

One of the research groups at HKUST is using the low-speed wind tunnel facility to investigate the aerodynamic performance of commercial propellers. The research group is also working on developing custom-designed blades optimized for low-noise and maximum aerodynamic performance.   

Drone Aerodynamcis and Aeroacoustics

The Aerodynamics Acoustics and Noise Control Technology Centre (AANTC) use the wind tunnel facility at the AAF for their research on drone propellers. 

Their research focuses on the development of a wind tunnel test rig to evaluate the aerodynamic performance and acoustic characteristics of small-scale UAV propellers. 

Their project focuses on the application of the wind tunnel facility for aerodynamic tests, as well as the large acoustic chamber for unteathered flight testing and acoustic measurements for small-scale UAVs. 

They also utlize the CFD resources at the AAF to perform tackle the reseach challenges from various angles.