Ice shape modulation with nanosecond pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator towards flight safety

Abstract

Ice accretion on aircraft wings seriously damage the aerodynamic performance and flight safety of an aircraft. To deal with this issue, a leading-edge ice shape modulation method using nanosecond pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge (nSDBD) is proposed, featuring the merit of less energy consumption when compared to full-wing de-icing. A set of wind tunnel experiments are conducted for verification purposes. Results show that the dangerous continuous ice can be modulated into periodically segmented ice pieces by nSDBD, forming a wavy leading edge, and the energy consumption of ice shape modulation is less than 50% of that of complete deicing. In the case of NACA0012 airfoil, ice shape modulation can improve the lift noticeably at each angle of attack (0° to 22°), delay the stall angle by 2°, and reduce the drag coefficient by more than 50% compared to full ice condition. The duration of ice shape modulation with plasma actuators lasts for about 4 min to 6 min. For flow separation control, the coherent streamwise vortices generated by the wavy leading edge are able to enhance the mixing between the boundary layer and the freestream, resulting in an increase of the ability to resist the adverse pressure gradient above the airfoil. Since both ice shape modulation and flow separation control benefit the aerodynamic performance of icing airfoils, the flight safety is improved.