Actuator Surface Research Articles

Characterization of Plasma-Induced Flow Thermal Effects for Wind Turbine Icing Mitigation

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators have recently become desirable devices for simultaneous flow control and ice mitigation applications, with particular interest in wind turbines operating in cold climates. Considering the potential of plasma actuators for these specific applications, it is necessary to deeply understand the thermal effects generated by the plasma-induced flow to proceed with further optimizations. However, due to the local high electric field and high electromagnetic interference generated, there is a lack of experimental studies on the topic. The current work implements an in-house experimental technique based on the background-oriented schlieren principle for plasma-induced flow thermal characterization. Since this technique is based on optical measurements, it is not affected by the electromagnetic interference issues caused by the plasma discharge. A detailed experimental analysis is performed on a conventional Kapton actuator exploiting the relation between the actuator surface temperature and the induced thermal flow. The influence of the input voltage and the transient plasma-induced flow thermal behavior is analyzed. The results demonstrate that plasma actuators are fast response time devices that can heat the adjacent medium in less than a second after starting the operation.

Flow Measurements Above A DBD Plasma Actuator Array By Means Of Defocusing PTV

Lagrangian defocusing particle tracking velocimetry (DPTV) measurements are conducted in a thin, wall-parallel volume above a plasma actuator array that is applied to mimic the effect of wall oscillations by inducing alternating, wall-parallel forcing in opposite directions into the air above the actuator surface. The aim of the experiments is to capture the plasma-induced flow structures in otherwise quiescent air in order to increase the understanding of different actuation parameters. For this purpose, high-speed particle image velocimetry equipment with one camera is used in a DPTV setup, where the out-of-plane particle coordinate is obtained through the diameter of a defocused particle image. On this basis, an approach for continuous particle tracking in several consecutive frames is presented, allowing to derive three component, three dimensional velocity and acceleration data. Light reflections that occur on the adjacent actuator surface give raise to particular challenges concerning the measurement uncertainty estimation as well as the calibration procedure for the evaluation of the wall-normal coordinate of tracer particles. To overcome the latter, a calibration approach is presented for which solid particles are applied to the actuator surface and their particle image diameter is captured at different camera positions in a separate measurement. The estimation of in-plane and out-of-plane displacement measurement uncertainties is conducted following a newly-developed procedure where the deviation of particle displacements from a straight track is evaluated for measurements in quasi-quiescent air. The obtained results show the suitability of DPTV measurement technique for the practical application of the characterization of flow structures above a plasma actuator array. The measurement accuracy is found to be limited due to the available illumination, which depends on the used components. The measured flow fields together with optical and electrical measurement data allow for a further analysis of the present forcing strategy. Particularly, by recording phase-resolved, three-dimensional flow velocity and acceleration fields in the vicinity of the wall, the spatio-temporal occurrence and homogeneity of the near-wall forcing effects can be analyzed in future investigations.

Unified Control of Flight Dynamics and Actuators Using Local Accelerations

Control surface actuators usually come with their own servo control algorithm, which ensures that the deflection commanded by the flight control laws is quickly achieved. Therefore, flight control and servo control together form a cascaded control structure. Traditionally, the flight control laws (outer loop) and servo control laws (inner loop) are designed independently. However, recent applications demand an increasingly dynamic design of flight control, with actuator dynamics becoming a limiting factor. In this paper, a unified control design for actuators and flight dynamics is investigated. The local acceleration at the lifting surface (empennages and wing), close to the actuator, is fed back within an inner actuator control loop, allowing for faster compensation. The theoretical properties of the suggested control structure are discussed analytically first. Later, the concept is applied to a linear model for longitudinal aircraft motion. A classical state controller serves as a reference for comparison of the proposed strategy against the standard one with the actuator internal control law. Both controllers are designed using eigenstructure assignment, and the pole locations are numerically optimized. The closed-loop behavior is assessed in the time and frequency domains. The results promise significant improvements in terms of disturbance rejection and robustness.

Lift-Induced Wake Re-Energization for a VAWT-Based Multi-Rotor System

This study explores the performance and near-wake dynamics of a VAWT-based Multi-Rotor System in both its original configuration and in the presence of external lift-generating devices, specifically employed for wake control operations. The wake of a scaled VAWT-based MRS was measured in a wind tunnel using Particle Tracking Velocimetry. Lift-generating devices, including a 3-element cascading wing on top and a single-element wing in the middle of the MRS, were used to enhance wake control and deflection. Measurements in the near-wake revealed notable differences between configurations with and without these devices. Without them, the wake remained concentrated in the actuator surface’s projected downstream area, with minimal crossflow diffusion. Conversely, the configuration with lift-generating devices exhibited significant wake deformation, including axial expansion and lateral contraction, promoting streamwise momentum recovery. As a result, increased power recovery was found downstream of such a system compared to the clean MRS. These findings underscore the potential of such systems, particularly when equipped with lift-generating devices, to manipulate wake dynamics and enhance wind farm efficiency, thereby advancing innovative wind energy solutions.

Actuator Surface Modeling of Rotors at the Ship–Helicopter Dynamic Interface

The aerodynamics of the ship–helicopter dynamic interface play an important role in determining ship–helicopter operating limits. A review of prior studies, in conjunction with experimental work, indicates that a time-accurate rotor model and a physics-based turbulence-resolving flow solver with two-way coupling between these components are required to accurately predict rotor–airwake and rotor–rotor interactions. Here, a recently developed actuator surface model is validated against two further multirotor cases and employed for two large-scale ship–helicopter dynamic interfaces with up to three concurrent rotorcraft and five rotors. Simulations of the Sikorsky X2 rotor with significant rotor–rotor interaction match resolved unsteady rotor loading well using 1.2% of the computational effort of resolved blade calculations. Computations of the outwash from a Boeing CH-47D in hover gave results within experimental error bars for most azimuths, where discrepancies may be attributed to the estimated trim and division of rotor loading. Simulations of the dynamic interface between the Simple Frigate Shape 1 and a hovering UH-60a were presented for three wind-over-deck angles and three positions for 40 knots of wind speed. The computed thrust and root mean square thrust coefficients in the closed-loop pilot control band are presented and demonstrated to have an to have an expected dependence on immersion in the ship airwake. Finally, a large-scale dynamic interface computation was performed with two CH-47Ds and one UH-60a operating concurrently over the deck of the landing helicopter assault ship at 40 knots of wind speed and 0° and 30° angle. Results highlighted the importance of understanding rotor-wake/airwake interactions dependent on rotorcraft type and position and wind-over-deck. The computation provided unsteady thrust and torque for each of the five rotors from 60 s of data using just 11,424 central processing unit hours on a grid of 19.5×106 points. These simulations show that hybrid Navier–Stokes simulations employing actuator line or surface methods are capable of providing high-fidelity, time-accurate predictions of rotor loads at the ship–helicopter dynamic interface at substantially lower cost.

On the impact of debris accumulation on power production of marine hydrokinetic turbines: Insights gained via LES

We present a series of large-eddy simulations to systematically investigate the impact of debris accumulation on the hydrodynamics and power production of a utility-scale marine hydrokinetic (MHK) turbine under various debris loads lodged on the upstream face of the turbine tower. The turbine blades are modeled using turbine resolving, actuator line, and actuator surface methods. Moreover, the influence of debris on the flow field is captured by directly resolving individual logs and employing a novel debris model. Analyzing the hydrodynamics effects of various debris accumulations, we show that an increase in the density of debris accumulation leads to more flow bypassing beneath the turbine blade. This, in turn, reduces the flow momentum that reaches the MHK blades at the lower depths, inducing significant fluctuation in power production. Further, it is shown that debris-induced turbulent fluctuations contribute to significant variability in the MHK turbine’s power production.

Performance analysis of an idealized Darrieus–Savonius combined vertical axis wind turbine

AbstractTo investigate the effect of force distributions of each turbine component on the power performance of the Darrieus–Savonius combined vertical axis wind turbine (hybrid VAWT), the hybrid VAWT is modeled as idealized turbine under various force distributions. The goal of idealization is to simplify the intricate interactions between the Savonius and Darrieus components. The simulation actuator surfaces with uniform force distributions lead to a cost‐effective way to identify the optimal force distribution of each turbine component. The numerical model was validated against momentum theory. The results demonstrated that the numerical and theoretical results yield similar predictions in the low‐thrust cases but show differences in the high‐thrust cases. The maximum power coefficient of an idealized hybrid VAWT with given thrust coefficient is lower than that of a single actuator. This is a consequence of the nonoptimal loading on the actuator. The results indicate that an idealized hybrid VAWT does not show a significant power increase compared with an optimal single Darrieus rotor. Therefore, the presence of a Savonius rotor inside a Darrieus rotor leads to a lower power output in any circumstance. The hybrid configuration is primarily advantageous for the start‐up performance of the combined rotor, which is not explored in this study.

A Comparative Analysis of Actuator-Based Turbine Structure Parametrizations for High-Fidelity Modeling of Utility-Scale Wind Turbines under Neutral Atmospheric Conditions

This study compared the efficacy of the actuator line and actuator surface models in carrying out large-eddy simulations of a utility-scale wind turbine. A large-eddy simulation with the actuator surface and line models was employed to study the wake flow and power production of the turbine. While both the actuator models were employed for the blade representation, the nacelle was modeled using the actuator surface approach. Both of the actuator models demonstrated agreement in the mean velocity field, power production, and turbulence kinetic energy of the wake flow. Comparing the wake flow, power production, and turbulence kinetic energy results, it was found that the mean discrepancy between the two models was 0.6%, 0.3%, and 2.3%, respectively. Despite the minor discrepancies, both actuator models accurately captured the hub vortex in the wake of the nacelle, evidenced by an energy peak in wind speed spectra at f/fω≈0.34.

Moving actuator surfaces: a new concept for wind turbine aerodynamic analysis

The actuator disk is a concept often used in wind turbine aerodynamics, where the action of the turbine on the flow is averaged over time and space. This simplification stills retain sufficient physical information for wind turbine aerodynamic design. Its limitations are essentially related to the impossibility to model the blade shed vorticity. This paper presents a more general approach that uses rotating actuator surfaces carrying velocity and pressure discontinuities which are set from knowledge of the circulation around the model blade sections and using blade element analysis. The mathematics of rotating actuator surfaces, as well as an application to the TUDelft rotor are presented in this paper. The results are encouraging.

Detached-Eddy Simulation of UH-60A Airloads Using an Immersed Boundary Method

The complete helicopter configuration of UH-60A Black Hawk in forward flight is numerically studied using an immersed boundary method and an actuator surface model. Detached-eddy simulation is conducted where the UH-60A fuselage is modeled by the immersed boundary method, while the main and tail rotors are represented using the actuator surface model. The low-speed case (flight counter 8513) from the UH-60A Airloads Program by NASA and the U.S. Army is considered. This case poses challenges such as significant blade–vortex interaction and rotor–airframe interaction. The validation of the test case is conducted for both the isolated main rotor and the full configuration, and the results are compared with flight-test measurements and computational data from the literature. Both the main rotor blade airload and fuselage drag data agree well with the reference data. The surface pressure data over the centerline of the fuselage, horizontal stabilator, and vertical stabilizer are presented. Qualitative data demonstrate massive flow separation from subcomponents of the fuselage that are often not included in computational fluid dynamics simulations. It also features significant main rotor–tail rotor interactions. The computational effort for three grid levels of each test case is provided.

Optimal Performance Trim Procedure for Multirotor Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicles

The present paper proposes a general approach capable of determining the set of trim commands, aerodynamic control surface actuation, and/or engine thrust regulation that allow specific trimmed steady-state flight conditions of nonconventional vertical takeoff and landing vehicles under given performance constraints. Exploiting the peculiarity of these vehicles to have redundant controls, namely more controls than those strictly required to define steady-state flight conditions, their trim problem is recast into a constrained minimization of a cost function. This approach is of particular interest in that it allows the identification of control settings for multirotor vehicles that, at the same time, guarantee trimmed flight conditions and optimization of selected target functions such as, for instance, performance or noise emission. The proposed approach is numerically applied to quadcopter and hexacopter configurations for three flight conditions (level forward flight, climb, and coordinate turn), and three strategies of trim by different trim variables (rotor angular velocity, blade collective pitch, and combination of angular velocity and blade collective pitch). The effect of the introduced cost function is investigated, comparing the outcomes of minimum control effort and minimum torque strategies. The results achieved demonstrate the capability of the proposed algorithm to exploit redundant controls of multirotor vehicles for identifying selected optimal trim operative conditions.

Meshless Large-Eddy Simulation of Propeller–Wing Interactions with Reformulated Vortex Particle Method

The vortex particle method (VPM) has gained popularity in recent years due to a growing need to predict complex aerodynamic interactions during the preliminary design of electric multirotor aircraft. However, VPM is known to be numerically unstable when vortical structures break down close to the turbulent regime. In recent work, the VPM has been reformulated as a large-eddy simulation (LES) in a scheme that is both meshless and numerically stable without increasing its computational cost. In this study, we build upon this meshless LES scheme to create a solver for interactional aerodynamics. Propeller blades are introduced through an actuator line model following well-established practices for LES. A novel, vorticity-based actuator surface model (ASM) is developed for wings, which is suitable for propeller–wing interactions when a wake impinges on the surface of a wing. This ASM imposes the no-flow-through condition at the airfoil centerline by calculating the circulation that meets this condition and by immersing the associated vorticity in the LES following a pressure-like distribution. Extensive validation of propeller–wing interactions is presented by simulating a tailplane with tip-mounted propellers and a blown wing with propellers mounted midspan.

Linear electrostatic actuators with Moiré-effect optical proprioceptive sensing and electroadhesive braking

Muscles in animals and actuation systems in advanced robots consist not of the actuation component alone; the motive, dissipative, and proprioceptive components exist in a complete set to achieve versatile and precise manipulation tasks. We present such a system as a linear electrostatic actuator package incorporated with sensing and braking components. Our modular actuator design is composed of these actuator films and a dielectric fluid, and we examine the performance of the proposed system both theoretically and experimentally. In addition, we introduce a mechanism of optical proprioceptive sensing utilizing the Moiré pattern innately generated on the actuator surface, which allows high-resolution reading of the position of the actuator without noise. The optical sensor is also capable of measuring the force exerted by the actuator. Lastly, we add an electroadhesive brake in the package in parallel with the actuator, introducing a method of mode switching that utilizes all three components and presenting control demonstrations with a robot arm. Our actuation system is compact and flexible and can be easily integrated with various robotic applications.

Canister valve and actuator deposition in metered dose inhalers formulated with low-GWP propellants

A challenge in pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) formulation design is management of adhesion of the drug to the canister wall, valve and actuator internal components and surfaces. Wall-material interactions differ between transparent vials used for visual inspection and metal canister pMDI systems. This is of particular concern for low greenhouse warming potential (GWP) formulations where propellant chemistry and solubility with many drugs are not well understood. In this study, we demonstrate a novel application of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation to assay the contents of surrogate solution and suspension pMDI formulations of potassium iodide and barium sulphate in propellants HFA134a, HFA152a and HFO1234ze(E) using aluminium canisters and standard components. Preliminary results indicate that through unit life drug distribution in the canister valve closure region and actuator can vary significantly with new propellants. For solution formulations HFO1234ze(E) propellant shows the greatest increase in local deposition inside the canister valve closure region as compared to HFA134a and HFA152a, with correspondingly reduced actuator deposition. This is likely driven by chemistry changes. For suspension formulations HFA152a shows the greatest differences, due to its low specific gravity. These changes must be taken into consideration in the development of products utilising low-GWP propellants.

Progress in Redundant Electromechanical Actuators for Aerospace Applications

The power to move aircraft control surfaces has advanced from being manually generated (by the pilot and transmitted via rods and links) to electrically transmitted (via wires) to operate control surface actuators. Various hydraulic, electromagnetic, and electromechanical architectures have been developed to provide the necessary power and to maintain the expected redundancy. Numerous aircraft actuator system designs have been proposed in the past decades, but a comprehensive review has yet to be undertaken. This review paper aims to fill this gap by providing a critical review of the actuation system designs developed for a variety of aircraft. The review focuses on aircraft actuator system designs, namely: electrohydraulic actuator systems, electromechanical actuator systems, and the force-fighting effect in redundant actuation systems. The significance and operational principle of each actuator system are critically analysed and discussed in the review. The paper also evaluates the solution proposed to address force-fight equalization (or force-fight cancelation) in force or torqued-summed architectures. Future trends in redundant actuation system development with reduced force-fighting effect in aircraft actuator systems are also addressed.

Characteristics of a nanosecond pulsed sliding discharge plasma actuator at low pressure

The behavior of a nanosecond pulsed sliding discharge plasma actuator with the ambient pressure from 27 to 101 kPa is experimentally investigated. The electric characteristics, discharge morphologies, and surface temperature distribution of the actuator supplied by constant voltages are studied under different pressure conditions. The threshold pressure for sliding discharge establishment is 54–75 kPa in this paper. The results show that the positive peak value of the current tends to increase as the pressure decreases. Time-integrated discharge images indicate that plasma luminosity and uniformity are enhanced under low-pressure conditions. The discharge morphology of the actuator at 27 kPa displays an alternating distribution of bright and dark stripes. The infrared thermal results demonstrate that decreasing the pressure increases the actuator's surface temperature, intensifies the intensity of spanwise temperature oscillations, and improves the homogeneity in the streamwise direction.

Circumferential SH wave in piezo-reinforced composite structure with imperfect interface bonding

The present study fundamentally focuses on analyzing the limitations and transference of circumferential shear horizontal (CSH) waves in a four-layered compounded cylinder. The geometrical structure consists of cylinders of infinite length composed of self-reinforced (SR), fibre-reinforced (FR), piezo-magnetic (PM), and piezo-electric(PE) materials. In order to make the structure sensitive to the application pertaining to sensors and actuators, the PM and PE cylinders have been categorically placed in the outer part of the geometry. Whereas in order to provide stiffness and stability to the structure, the inner part consists of SR and FR materials. The common boundary between each of the cylinders has been essentially considered as imperfectly bounded. At the interface of PE and PM media, mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and inter-coupled types of imperfections have been exhibited. The closed-form of dispersion relation has been deduced for two contrast cases i.e. electrically open magnetically short (EOMS) and electrically short and magnetically open (ESMO) circuit conditions. Dispersion curves have been plotted to illustrate the salient features of parameters like normalized imperfect interface parameters, initial stresses, and radii of the concentric cylinders. The comparative effect of each one of these parameters on the phase velocity of the wave has been enlisted and marked individually. Every graph has been presented with two successive modes for a comprehensive understanding. This theoretical study may be implemented to improvise the performance of surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors, actuators, and Piezo-cables in the form of Piezo-polymer sensors consisting of piezo-electric quartz, piezo-composite concentric cylinders, and coaxial piezo-cables.

Characteristics of wind turbine wakes for different blade designs

In this work, we investigate the characteristics of wind turbine wakes for three different blade designs (i.e. the NREL-Ori, NREL-Root and NREL-Tip designs, where the NREL-Ori refers to the baseline offshore 5 MW wind turbine designed by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory) under turbulent inflows using large-eddy simulations with the actuator surface model. The load on the blade is higher near the blade root/tip for the NREL-Root/NREL-Tip designs when compared with the NREL-Ori design, while their thrust coefficients are the same. The results show that the blade designs influence the velocity deficit in the near wake, turbulence kinetic energy and wake meandering (both amplitude and frequency). In the near-wake region, the magnitude of the velocity deficit from the NREL-Root design is higher. As for the turbulence kinetic energy, its maximum in the near wake is higher for the NREL-Tip design, while in the far wake, it is higher for the NREL-Root design. Analyses of the instantaneous spanwise wake centre positions show higher meandering amplitude for the NREL-Root design, with the magnitudes of the low-frequency components approximately the same as the other two designs under the same inflow. The dominant meandering frequencies from different designs are different, with lower values for the NREL-Root design for which the vortex structures near the hub of low frequency play leading roles, and higher values for the NREL-Tip design for which the flow structures of high frequency in the tip shear layer are more important.

Novel active control technique of aircraft flaps asymmetry

This paper proposes an active monitoring strategy to control aircraft trailing-edge high-lift devices (flaps) asymmetry. A variety of system failures can cause asymmetry in the control surfaces, including the transmission torsion bar break down and control surface actuator wear and tear. The authors’ novel asymmetry active monitoring approach detects and identifies flaps position asymmetry. Once the failure side has been identified, the active control activates the wingtip brakes to stop the uncontrolled flap surface. The still controlled flaps are driven to the damaged surface braking point to reduce flap asymmetry. As a result, the undesired aircraft roll moment (due to flaps asymmetry) will be controlled, and the aircraft maneuverability after failure will be (partially) restored. The proposed asymmetry active monitoring technique has been widely tested in different operational and failure conditions, using wear-free or worn-out actuators and considering every failure side scenario. The behavior of the proposed active model is evaluated in terms of time response and stability margin under certain operating conditions.

Speed Control for Variable Speed PMSM Drive System Using Nonlinear Variable-Horizon Predictive Functional Control

Electrohydrostatic actuators (EHAs) adopted variable speed permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive systems are widely used by surface actuation systems in more electrical aircraft. However, the dynamic performance and the antidisturbance performance of EHA need to be improved due to the limited dynamic response of variable speed PMSM drive systems and uncertain aerodynamic disturbance. To improve the transient-state operation, nonlinear variable-horizon predictive functional control (NVHPFC) is proposed for the speed controller of the variable speed PMSM drive system. By analyzing the relationship between the prediction horizon and the electromagnetic torque, a nonlinear variable predictive horizon strategy is presented, which replaces the fixed predictive horizon in classical PFC. Aiming to improve the prediction accuracy and antidisturbance performance of NVHPFC, a discrete prediction error compensation strategy is incorporated with the NVHPFC. Meanwhile, the stability of the proposed method is verified by the Lyapunov function in the discrete domain. Finally, simulation and experimental results of the proposed method show stronger antidisturbance, smaller overshoot, and shorter settling time performance compared with the classical PFC method based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) test bench.