146 results about "Plasma actuator" patented technology

A single dielectric barrier aerodynamic plasma actuator apparatus based on the dielectric barrier discharge phenomenon is disclosed and suggested for application to aerodynamic uses for drag reduction, stall elimination and airfoil efficiency improvement. In the plasma actuator apparatus non-uniform in time and space, partially ionized gasses are generated by one or more electrode pairs each having one electrically encapsulated electrode and one air stream exposed electrode and energization by a high-voltage alternating current waveform. The influence of electrical waveform variation, electrode polarity, electrode size and electrode shape on the achieved plasma are considered along with theoretical verification of achieved results. Light output, generated thrust, ionizing current waveform and magnitude and other variables are considered. Misconceptions prevailing in the present day plasma generation art are addressed and are believed-to-be corrected. The influence of electrostatic shielding effects of the developed plasma on the applied electric field are also considered.

A plasma fairing for reducing noise generated by, for example, an aircraft landing gear is disclosed. The plasma fairing includes at least one plasma generating device, such as a single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator, coupled to a body, such as an aircraft landing gear, and a power supply electrically coupled to the plasma generating device. When energized, the plasma generating device generates a plasma within a fluid flow and reduces body flow separation of the fluid flow over the surface of the body. In another example, the body includes a plurality of plasma generating devices mounted to the surface the body to further aid in noise reduction.

The current invention provides significant performance improvements or significant energy savings for fans used in these applications: personal, industrial and automotive cooling, ventilation, vacuuming and dust removal, inflating, computer component cooling, propulsors for unmanned and manned air vehicles, propulsors for airboats, air-cushion vehicles, airships and model aircraft. Additionally, the invention provides higher performance such as higher lift and higher lift efficiency to small air vehicles. These advantages are achieved by using plasma actuators to provide active flow control effectors into thin fan blades and wing.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and apparatus for plasma actuated high performance flow control. A specific embodiment of a plasma actuator can incorporate a power source; a first electrode in contact with a first dielectric layer and connected to the power source; a second electrode in contact with a second dielectric layer and connected to the power source; and a ground electrode. The power source drives the first electrode with a first ac voltage pattern with respect to the ground electrode and drives the second electrode with a second ac voltage pattern with respect to the ground electrode such that application of the first voltage pattern produces a first plasma discharge in a flow region, and a first electric field pattern in the flow region, and application of the second voltage pattern produces a second plasma discharge in the flow region and a second electric field pattern in the flow region. The first and second electrodes are offset along the direction of flow in the flow region and the first voltage pattern and the second voltage pattern have a phase difference such that the first and second electric fields drive flow in the flow region in different portions of the flow region at different times.

A device for controlling fluid flow. The device includes an arc generator coupled to electrodes. The electrodes are placed adjacent a fluid flowpath such that upon being energized by the arc generator, an arc filament plasma adjacent the electrodes is formed. In turn, this plasma forms a localized high temperature, high pressure perturbation in the adjacent fluid flowpath. The perturbations can be arranged to produce vortices, such as streamwise vortices, in the flowing fluid to control mixing and noise in such flows. The electrodes can further be arranged within a conduit configured to contain the flowing fluid such that when energized in a particular frequency and sequence, can excite flow instabilities in the flowing fluid. The placement of the electrodes is such that they are unobtrusive relative to the fluid flowpath being controlled.

A compression system is disclosed, comprising a first compressor having a first flowpath, a second compressor having a second flowpath located axially aft from the first compressor, and a transition duct capable of flowing an airfow from the first compressor to the second compressor, the transition duct having at least one plasma actuator mounted in the transition duct.

A plasma generator for delaying the onset of rotation stall by tip gap flow control in, for example, an axial flow compressor is disclosed. The tip gap flow control system includes a housing surrounding a rotor of blades and having an inner wall. At least one plasma generating device is coupled to the inner wall of the housing and circumscribes at least a portion of the rotor of blades. A power supply is electrically coupled to the plasma generating device such that when the power supply energizes the plasma generating device, the axial momentum of a fluid flow between the inner wall of the housing and the tips of the rotor of blades in increased in the direction of the fluid flow.

An instability mitigation system is disclosed, comprising a stator stage located axially proximate to a rotor, the stator stage having a row of a plurality of stator vanes arranged around a centerline axis, and a mitigation system comprising at least one plasma actuator mounted on the stator vane that facilitates the improvement of the stability of the rotor, and a control system for controlling the operation of the mitigation system. An instability mitigation system further comprising a detection system for detecting an onset of an instability in a rotor and a control system for controlling the detection system and the mitigation system are disclosed.

A compression system is disclosed, the compression system comprising a stator stage having a row of a plurality of stator vanes arranged around a centerline axis, each stator vane having a vane airfoil and at least one plasma actuator located on the stator stage. Exemplary embodiments of a detection system for detecting an instability in a compression system rotor and a mitigation system that facilitates the improvement of the stability of the rotor are disclosed.

A single dielectric barrier plasma actuator is disclosed which includes a pair of offset electrodes and a dielectric barrier therebetween which includes a catalyst at least in the area adjacent one of the electrodes for enhancing the force created in the background gas by the actuator.

An aircraft includes a surface over which an airflow passes. A plasma actuator is configured to generate a plasma above the surface, the plasma coupling a directed momentum into the air surrounding the surface to reduce separation of the airflow from the surface. A method of reducing separation of an airflow from a surface of an aircraft includes generating a plasma in air surrounding the surface at a position where the airflow would separate from the surface in the absence of the plasma.

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators are used to manipulate exhaust flow within and behind a jet engine nozzle. The dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators may be used to direct cooling airflow near the surface of the nozzle to reduce heating of the nozzle, create thrust vectoring, and reduce noise associated with the exhaust flow exiting the nozzle.

A compressor comprises a casing having an inner surface surrounding a rotor assembly, the rotor assembly having a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially outwardly extending rotor blades, each blade having leading and trailing edges and a tip, the compressor further comprising at least one plasma actuator for suppressing rotating stall inception of the compressor, the at least one plasma actuator being mounted adjacent to the blade tips.

A system for deicing a wind turbine blade includes an electrically powered active plasma actuator applied to a desired portion of a wind turbine blade. The activated plasma actuator energizes the air in the vicinity of the plasma actuator to increase the surface temperature of the wind turbine blade in the vicinity of the plasma actuator sufficiently to reduce or eliminate the collection of ice on a desired portion of the wind turbine blade.

A compression system is disclosed, the compression system comprising a rotor having a plurality of blades arranged around a centerline axis, each blade having a blade airfoil and a blade tip, and at least one plasma actuator located on a blade. Exemplary embodiments of a detection system for detecting an instability in a compression system rotor and a mitigation system comprising at least one plasma actuator mounted on a blade to facilitate the improvement of the stability of the rotor are disclosed.

The present invention relates to a method of designing or optimizing a control surface for use with plasma actuators for controlling an aircraft, missile, munition or automobile, and more particularly to controlling fluid flow across their surfaces or other surfaces using plasma actuators, which would benefit from such a method. The various embodiments provide the steps to increase the efficiency of aircraft, missiles, munitions and automobiles. The method of flow control also provides a means for reducing aircraft, missile's, munition's and automobile's power requirements. These methods also provide alternate means for aerodynamic control using low-power hingeless plasma actuator devices.

One embodiment of the present invention uses plasma-driven gas flow to cool down electronic devices. The cooling device comprises heat sink fin assembly, plasma actuator assembly, and magnetic circuit assembly. The plasma actuator assembly comprises electrodes and dielectric pieces. Voltages are applied to electrodes to drive the plasma gas flow. The magnetic circuit assembly provides magnetic field to interact with electrical field and plasma flow, and therefore an induced gas flow is pumped into, or pumped out from, heat sink fin assembly, to cool down heat sink fins.

An instability mitigation system is disclosed, comprising a rotor having a row of blades arranged around a centerline axis, and a mitigation system comprising at least one plasma actuator mounted on a blade that facilitates the improvement of the stability of the rotor, and a control system for controlling the operation of the mitigation system. An instability mitigation system further comprising a detection system for detecting an onset of an instability in a rotor and a control system for controlling the detection system and the mitigation system are disclosed.

The invention discloses an ice breaking and removing method based on plasma impact jet flow. In an easily-icing zone of an object with the ice removing demand, a plasma actuator and an icing detector are installed in the mode of being flush with the object plane of the easily-icing zone, wherein the plasma actuator and the icing detector are connected with a controller; when the icing detector detects that the object plane of the easily-icing zone ices, the controller controls the plasma actuator located in the easily-icing zone to work and controls the discharging power and frequency and the working time of the plasma actuator, and periodic high-temperature and high-dynamic-pressure jet flow generated by the plasma actuator is used for impacting an ice layer to make the ice layer rapidly vibrate, deform and break and even directly crushing and thawing the ice layer to achieve ice breaking. The plasma ice removing technology makes electric parameter control, light-and-small design and distributed layout easy, has the advantages of rapidness, high efficiency and low energy consumption and can be widely applied to ice breaking and removing for various air vehicles or other objects with the ice removing demand.