Drag-Reduction Effectiveness of Riblet Films in Adverse Pressure Gradients*

Riblet films are micro-grooved structures that are widely known to passively reduce skin friction. Past studies have almost solely focused on riblet performance in channel-flows. However, possible applications of riblets include wind turbine blades, gas turbine blades, and other complex bodies that are exposed to non-zero pressure gradient flows---specifically adverse pressure gradients. We use high-resolution large eddy simulations of turbulent flow over three-dimensional riblets under an adverse pressure gradient. We analyze the computed results to quantify drag reduction effectiveness for different riblet shapes and to examine pertinent turbulent structures to gain a fundamental understanding of riblet performance.