Design Optimization of an Airfoil Using Stanford University Software SU2

Stanford University Unstructured (SU2) is an open-source C++ toolset designed for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs), particularly useful in PDE-constrained optimization problems across various fields, including aerodynamics and electrodynamics. Developed by Stanford's Aerospace Design Laboratory, SU2 is valuable in academia and industry for computational analysis, a sector often limited by expensive proprietary codes and resource constraints. SU2 is offered alongside Rescale's scalable computing platform to provide a cost-effective, accessible solution. A demonstration of SU2's capabilities involved an aerodynamic shape optimization of the ONERA M6 wing model, achieving a 24.6% reduction in pressure drag through iterative design cycles. This process involved solving direct flow and continuous adjoint problems to compute gradients for optimal shape adjustments, while maintaining the lift coefficient to manage induced drag. The results, including a significant reduction in pressure drag, highlight SU2's effectiveness in practical aerodynamic applications.