The active control of the leading-edge (LE) separation on the suction surface of a stalled airfoil (NACA 0012) at a Reynolds number of 10⁶ based on the chord length is investigated through a computational study. The actuator is a steady or unsteady jet located on the suction surface of the airfoil. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations are solved on hybrid meshes with the Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model. Simulations are used to characterize the effects of the steady and unsteady actuation on the separated flows for a large range of angle of attack (0 < α < 28 deg). Parametric studies are carried out in the actuator design-space to investigate the control effectiveness and robustness. An optimal actuator position, angle, and frequency for the stalled angle of attack α = 19 deg are found. A significant increase of the lift coefficient is obtained (+ 84% with respect to the uncontrolled reference flow), and the stall is delayed from angle of attack of 18 deg to more than 25 deg. The physical nonlinear coupling between the actuator position, velocity angle, and frequency is investigated. The critical influence of the actuator location relative to the separation location is emphasized.

The aircraft environmental control system (ECS) is the second-highest fuel consumer system, behind the propulsion system. To reduce fuel consumption, one research direction intends to replace conventional aircraft with more electric aircraft. Thus, new electric architectures have to be designed for each system, such as for the ECS. In this paper, an electric ECS is modeled and then sized and optimized for different sizing scenarios with the aim of minimizing fuel consumption at the aircraft level. For the system and for each component, such as air inlets and heat exchangers, parametric models are developed to allow the prediction of relevant characteristics. These models, developed in order to be adapted to aircraft design issues, are of different types, such as scaling laws and surrogate models. They are then assembled to build a preliminary sizing procedure for the ECS by using a multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization (MDAO) formulation. Results show that the ECS design is highly dependent on the sizing scenario considered. An approach to size the ECS globally with respect to all the sizing scenarios leads to an ECS that accounts for around 200 N of drag, 190 kW of electric power, and 1500 kg of mass for the CeRAS aircraft.

Fixed-wing small, unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAVs) usually fly in atmospheric boundary layers that are often under the influence of turbulent environments. Inspired by nature's flyers, an application of an energy-harvesting flight strategy for increasing the energy state of the aircraft is presented. This paper provides basic longitudinal flight dynamic model exposing the physics behind the process. It shows significant power savings in flight with a sinusoidal and stochastic wind profile with active control of energy-harvesting. The active control based on optimized proportional gains was implemented for energy extraction from realistic atmospheric conditions, leading to significant energy savings for a 'bird-sized' vehicle. The paper reveals the equipment and necessary preparations for the flight test campaign. Moreover, it describes the design of a custom controller and its calibration in the wind tunnel against roll movements during pitching maneuvers. Finally, it investigates the benefits and potential of the automated process of energy-harvesting with simple proportional control through flight tests in a turbulent environment, validating the concept through the increased energy state of the aircraft.

A systematic study of the effect of the Reynolds number on the fluid dynamics and turbulence statistics of pulsed jets impinging on a flat surface is presented. It has been suggested that the influence of the Reynolds number may be somewhat different for a jet subjected to pulsation when compared to an equivalent steady jet. A comparative study of both steady and pulsating jets is presented for a Reynolds number range from Re=4,730 to Re=10,000. All the other factors that affect the flowfield are kept constant, which are H/d=3, St=0.25, and d=30.5 mm. It was found that for the range of the Reynolds numbers tested, pulsation results in a shortening of the jet core, the centerline axial velocity component declines more rapidly, and higher values of the radial velocity component for r/d>0.75 are observed. As the Reynolds number increases, the jet spreads more rapidly, the turbulent kinetic energy and nondimensional turbulent fluctuations decrease, and the flowfield near the impinging surface changes drastic...

In the context of reducing the environmental footprint of tomorrow’s aviation, Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) has become an increasingly interesting concept. With the strong coupling between disciplines that this technology brings forth, multiple benefits are expected for the overall aircraft design. These interests have been observed not only in the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft but also in the structural design. However, current statistical models used in conceptual design have shown limitations regarding the benefits and challenges coming from these new design trends. As for other methods, they are either not adapted for use in a conceptual design phase or do not cover CS-23 category aircraft. This paper details a semi-analytical methodology compliant with the performance-based certification criteria presented by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to predict the structural mass breakdown of a wing. This makes the method applicable to any aircraft regulated by EASA CS-23. Results have been validated with the conventional twin-engine aircraft Beechcraft 76, the innovative NASA X-57 Maxwell concept using DEP, and the commuter aircraft Beechcraft 1900.