Active Cancellation of Tollmien-Schlichting Waves under Varying Inflow Conditions for In-Flight Application

Abstract

Active flow control in laminar boundary layers can reduce wall friction on a wing, if laminar-turbulent transition is delayed. In this thesis, (re-)active flow control for active cancellation of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) waves in a two-dimensional laminar boundary layer is investigated. The TS-waves that initiate the transition to turbulence are attenuated with a DBD plasma actuator by superposition. Active wave cancelation requires the use of control algorithms and their stability is influenced by variable inflow conditions. Model-based (Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian) and adaptive control algorithms (filtered-x-LMS) are investigated under realistic (varying) inflow conditions in wind-tunnel and in-flight experiments. The further developed delayed-x-LMS algorithm allows a stable and robust controller operation for active wave cancelation in flight. All experimental results are validated by direct numerical simulations and linear stability theory. Furthermore, the challenges for the application of DBD plasma actuator arrays to delay natural transition are pointed out. The simplification of transfer paths for reducing the required computational power is discussed