Description: CU Aerospace and team partner the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign propose to develop a new type of plasma-based flow control actuator, which uses a high-voltage electrode that arcs to a cylindrical grounded electrode within a magnetic field. The result is that an arc plasma can be produced, with a Lorentz force that creates a plasma disc (similar concept to a cyclotron). The thought behind this concept is that the thermal actuator authority provided by the plasma arc is coupled with an induced swirl component into a boundary-layer flow, which will enhance mixing and allow flows to remain attached across strong adverse pressure gradients. Effectively, the proposed actuator would function like vortex generators that one can actively enable or disable on command. This subsystem demonstration will pioneer a family of devices to address a notoriously difficult problem in active flow control. The new capabilities in aerodynamic performance enabled by this innovative actuation approach will be demonstrated in both ground and flight tests. CU Aerospace will design, fabricate, and deliver a flight-ready demonstration plasma actuator to NASA at the end of the Phase II program.

Benefits: CU Aerospace and UIUC anticipate several important benefits from the cyclotronic plasma actuator over other technologies. When compared to traditional dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators, the cyclotronic plasma actuator may add more energy into the plasma to improve actuator authority and improve effectiveness for low-speed and high-speed flows. This technology may also alleviate turbulent separation through 3D mixing mechanisms, similar to passive vortex generators. This mixing mechanism may also improve operational efficiency, or reduce proposed actuator power requirements, as compared to existing technologies. The proposed innovation also provides more benefit than passive devices as control authority can be provided on-demand and it does not produce undesirable parasitic drag during high-speed cruise. Finally, the actuator has no moving parts and does not require the heavy infrastructures and mechanical complexities associated with high-pressure air storage required for most blowing approaches to active flow control.

The cyclotronic plasma actuator also has potential to significantly reduce drag and fuel burn for commercial aircraft through improved control surface effectiveness and high-lift performance, allowing aerodynamic surface weight and size to be reduced. Operational benefits are also anticipated for the efficiency, maneuverability, and stall prevention of military aircraft in high angle of attack operation. Additionally, potential internal flow applications include plasma assisted combustion, flame stabilization, and flow management inside inlet S-ducts.