Comparative Aerodynamic Performances of NACA0012 and NACA2412 Airfoils Under High Reynolds Number Conditions

Abstract

To clarify the aerodynamic performance boundaries and applicable scenarios of the classic four-digit NACA airfoil under high-Reynolds-number conditions, this paper takes the NACA2412 cambered airfoil and the NACA0012 symmetrical airfoil as the research objects. Using the fluid mechanics numerical simulation method and based on the k-ωSST turbulence model, a two-dimensional numerical simulation is carried out. The lift and drag characteristics, surface pressure distributions, and flow-field velocity evolution laws of the two airfoil types at a Reynolds number of 2.2×10⁶ and an angle of attack (AoA) range of 0°to 18°are systematically analyzed. The results show that cambering the NACA2412 airfoil enables it to exhibit non-zero lift. Positive lift can be generated at the 0°AoA, and the lift-curve slope within the 0° to 12° AoA range is 0.098/°. Before stall, the cambered NACA 2412 delivers a peak lift‑to‑drag ratio of 65.1 at α = 6°, outperforming the symmetric NACA 0012 by 20.38%. Their stall behaviors diverge fundamentally: the NACA 0012 undergoes a sudden leading‑edge breakdown, whereas the NACA 2412 shows a gradual trailing‑edge separation, thereby retaining better aerodynamic stability at high incidence.