Selective frequency damping method for steady RANS solutions of turbulent separated flows around an airfoil at stall

•We extend the Selective Frequency Damping (SFD) Method to the RANS equations.•The capability of the SFD to reach steady turbulent separated flow solutions is demonstrated.•We obtain steady flow around an airfoil in pre and post-stall configurations.•The existence of multiple steady solutions around the stall angle is reported.

The Selective Frequency Damping (SFD) method introduced by Akervik et al. [1] to obtain steady laminar solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations is used to compute steady turbulent solutions of the RANS equations. Coupling the SFD to a classical time step algorithm improves the convergence and robustness of the steady state algorithm. This is demonstrated on the turbulent flow solutions around an airfoil at high Reynolds number (Re ∼ 106) and for angles of attack near stall. The existence of multiple steady solutions, a key element for explaining the hysteresis phenomenon, is reported and described.