Flow solver verification en route to virtual flight in realistic atmospheric environments

Abstract The development of a simulation framework for virtual flight under realistic atmospheric conditions requires the accurate prediction of both aircraft aerodynamics and the evolution of coherent flow structures such as trailing vortices. In the present work, the CFD solver CODA is employed to investigate the formation, transfer, and downstream evolution of a wingtip vortex in an overset grid framework. A high-order discontinuous Galerkin discretization is applied to a rectangular NACA 0012 wing in a wind-tunnel configuration, with the vortex generator and surrounding flow domain represented by separate computational meshes coupled through overset interfaces. The vortex formation process is simulated using wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES).The study focuses on two primary objectives. First, the accurate prediction of the vortex-generation process through comparison with experimental and numerical reference data, and second the transfer and preservation of the resulting coherent vortex structure across computational domains. The results show that the high-order discontinuous Galerkin approach accurately captures the vortex roll-up process and preserves the turbulent vortex structure over extended downstream distances. Vortex meandering increases with downstream distance, while the dominant POD structures exhibit characteristic displacement patterns consistent with previous observations of trailing-vortex dynamics. Moreover, the overset coupling transfers the vortex between computational domains without significant loss of vortex strength or degradation of its characteristic structure. These results provide a basis for future virtual flight simulations involving interactions with atmospheric turbulence or wake vortices generated by other aircraft.