This research effort develops software tools for closed loop active flow control techniques. Flow fields to demonstrate the effectiveness of the tools include both at laminar and turbulent boundary layers, as well as airfoils and three-dimensional wake flows. The work takes a combined fluids/controls approach, with the goal of improving the flow fields listed above beyond what can be achieved with active or passive open loop techniques. The work seeks to control the flow using low-order models, based on Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and other techniques, which identify the most dominant modes. Sensor information is used to estimate the amplitudes of the time-dependent coefficients of the POD modes. Based on this estimation, a closed loop controller commands different types of flow actuators. A closely integrated dual path of experiment and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods is used to make most of the advantages of both tools. The results of the effort should be a robust, well-validated method enabling control of different types of flow fields. A structured approach for controller development for flow fields has been elusive for many decades. Recently, with new extensions to POD and more advanced modeling approaches, structured controller development has become feasible. The various pieces of a closed loop system have been investigated independently in the past, but a structured approach covering all portions of the development is still being developed. The research area of feedback flow control is multidisciplinary in nature, merging the fields of fluid flow, controls, simulations, data processing, and structures.

 

key words

Flow control; Unsteady; Dynamic; Synthetic jet; Piezoelectric; Delta wing; Unmanned combat air vehicle; UAV; Vortex;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral and Senior applicants