Low-Fidelity Exergy-Based Method for Profile Drag Analysis

Exergy analysis provides a valuable drag breakdown for quantifying the improvement margin of a configuration from a thermodynamic perspective. Until now, existing steady-flow exergy formulations require Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes data as input, which are computationally prohibitive for conceptual design. This paper introduces a novel exergy-based formulation for assessing the profile drag in subsonic, steady flows, suited for low-fidelity panel method input data. The method computes viscous mechanical exergy, thermal exergy, and anergy (exergy destruction) components by linking them to integral boundary-layer defect quantities. These quantities are derived from reconstructed boundary-layer and wake profiles (velocity, density, and temperature) obtained using integral parameters commonly available from the panel method with viscous coupling. The formulation was validated in 2D for the NACA 0012 airfoil with an adiabatic wall for turbulent (freestream Mach number, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) and transitional ([Formula: see text]) cases at a Reynolds number of [Formula: see text]. The low-fidelity exergy formulation accurately reproduces viscous exergy distributions and the resulting exergy-based viscous drag coefficient when compared to Aguirre’s reference mid-fidelity formulation, thereby establishing a robust low-fidelity exergy method as a practical tool for rapid aerodynamic optimization in early design phases.