CFD simulation of propellers: Best Practices Analysis

This document presents an overview of the different methods available in the commercially available CFD software STAR CCM+ for the simulation of small-scale propellers typically used in UAV’s. Special emphasis is placed on the validity of a steady state approach based on the use of multiple frames of reference which is computationally cheap. DA4022 and APC 10x7 slow flyer prototypes were CAD modelled and their performance characteristics were computed providing results concordant with the available experimental data.