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A technique to infer circumferential total pressure distortion intensity found in serpentine inlet airflow was established using wall-pressure fluctuation measurements. This sensing technique was experimentally developed for aircraft with serpentine inlets in a symmetric, level flight condition. The turbulence carried by the secondary flow field that creates the non-uniform total pressure distribution at the compressor fan-face was discovered to be an excellent indicator of the distortion intensity. A basic understanding of the secondary flow field allowed for strategic sensor placement to provide a distortion estimate with a limited number of sensors. The microphone-based distortion estimator was validated through its strong correlation with experimentally determined circumferential total pressure distortion parameter intensities (DPCP). This non-intrusive DPCP estimation technique was then used as a DPCP observer in a distortion feedback control system. Lockheed Martin developed the flow control technique used in this control system, which consisted of jet-type vortex generators that injected secondary flow to counter the natural secondary flow inherent to the serpentine inlet. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) based control system was designed that achieved a requested 66% reduction in DPCP (from a DPCP of 0.023 down to 0.007) in less than 1 second. This control system was also tested for its ability to maintain a DPCP level of 0.007 during a quick ramp-down and ramp-up engine throttling sequence, which served as a measure of system robustness. The control system allowed only a maximum peak DPCP of 0.009 during the engine ramp-up. The successful demonstrations of this automated distortion control system showed great potential for applying this distortion sensing scheme along with Lockheed Martin's flow control technique to military aircraft with serpentine inlets. A final objective of this research was to broaden the non-intrusive sensing capabilities in the serpentine inlet. It was desired to develop a sensing technique that could identify control efforts that optimized the overall inlet aerodynamic performance with regards to both circumferential distortion intensity DPCP and average pressure recovery PR. This research was conducted with a new serpentine inlet developed by Lockheed Martin having a lower length-to-diameter ratio and two flow control inputs. A cost function based on PR and DPCP was developed to predict the optimal flow control efforts at several Mach numbers. Two wall-mounted microphone signals were developed as non-intrusive inlet performance sensors in response to the two flow control inputs. These two microphone signals then replaced the PR and DPCP metrics in the original cost function, and the new non-intrusive-based cost function yielded extremely similar optimal control efforts. / Ph. D.

Road vehicles are still largely a consumer product and as such the styling of a vehicle becomes a significant factor in how commercially successful a vehicle will become. The influence of styling combined with the numerous other factors to consider in a vehicle development programme means that the optimum aerodynamic package is not possible in real world applications. Aerodynamicists are continually looking for more discrete and innovative ways to reduce the drag of a vehicle. The current thesis adds to this work by investigating the influence of active flow control devices on the aerodynamic drag of square back style road vehicles. A number of different types of flow control are reviewed and the performance of synthetic jets and pulsed jets are investigated on a simple 2D cylinder flow case experimentally. A simplified ¼ scale vehicle model is equipped with active flow control actuators and their effects on the body drag investigated. The influence of the global wake size and the smaller scale in-wake structures on vehicle drag is investigated and discussed. Modification of a large vortex structure in the lower half of the wake is found to be a dominant mechanism by which model base pressure can be influenced. The total gains in power available are calculated and the potential for incorporating active flow control devices in current road vehicles is reviewed. Due to practicality limitations the active flow control devices are currently ruled out for implementation on a road vehicle. The knowledge gained about the vehicle model wake flow topology is later used to create drag reductions using a simple and discrete passive device. The passive modifications act to support claims made about the influence of in wake structures on the global base pressures and vehicle drag. The devices are also tested at full scale where modifications to the vehicle body forces were also observed.

L’énergie éolienne est une source d’énergie propre et renouvelable qui fait partie des moyens pour réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et contrer le réchauffement climatique dans le domaine de la production électrique.L’objectif de la thèse est d’optimiser la production d’énergie éolienne par la réduction des fluctuations de charge induites par la turbulence de la couche limite atmosphérique. Ces fluctuations augmentent la fatigue des pales et réduisent la durée de vie des rotors.Cette réduction des fluctuations de charge est réalisée par le biais d’une approche expérimentale et à l’échelle du laboratoire. Deux actionneurs non conventionnels sont étudiés et testés au sein d’un écoulement contrôlé ensoufflerie: il s’agit d’actionneurs plasma et de jets fluidiques. L’objectif est d’effectuer un contrôle de circulation par une action proche du bord de fuite arrondi de la pale afin de modifier la portance du profil.Dans le cadre du projet SMARTEOLE, les deux stratégies sont d’abord testées en parallèle sur un profil bidimensionnel. Pour cette thèse, les actionneurs plasma sont implémentés autour du bord de fuite arrondi afin d’augmenter ou de réduire la portance. Les performances aérodynamiques ont été modifiées dans la partie linéaire de la courbe de portance. Pour des raisons d’efficacité et de fiabilité, le projet est poursuivi avec des jets fluidiques pour aller vers l’étude des pales et du contrôle d’écoulement en rotation. Ces pales sont préalablement testées dans une configuration translationnelle pour évaluer l’effet du contrôle sans les effets de la rotation. Finalement,les pales sont montées sur le banc éolien du laboratoire. Les effets du contrôle sont mis en évidence par les mesures de pression pariétale et de moment de flexion en pied de pale. Le contrôle induit des réductions importantes de fatigue qui motivent la poursuite des travaux dans le domaine du contrôle d’écoulement appliqué aux pales d’éolienne. / Wind energy is a clean and renewable source of energy that remains one of the solutions to cut carbon emissions and curb global warming in the field of power generation. The present thesis objective is the optimisation of wind energy production by the all eviation of blade load fluctuations induced by shear and turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer. These fluctuations increase the blade fatigue and reduce the life duration of the rotors.This load fluctuation all eviation is assessed with an experimental approach and at a laboratory scale. Two not conventional flow control strategies, plasma actuators and fluidic jets, are implemented and tested in the controlled environment of a wind-tunnel to perform a circulation control by acting in the vicinity of the rounded trailing-edge of the blade in order to modify its lift force.In the scope of the SMARTEOLE project, both plasma and fluidic strategies are, as a first step, tested in parallel on a 2D-airfoil. For this thesis, plasma actuators are implemented over the airfoil trailing-edge to increase ordecrease the lift force. Airfoil performances are indeed modified in the linear part of the lift curve. For efficiency and reliability reasons, it is chosen to pursue the work towards the rotational configuration with the fluidic strategy. Blades are then manufactured and tested first in a translational configuration to evaluate the potentialof the fluidic actuation without rotational effects. Then, blades are mounted in the wind turbine bench of the laboratory. The effects of the actuation are demonstrated through surface pressure and flapwise bending moment measurements. Actuation shows important fatigue reduction motivating the pursue of the investigations on active flow control applied to wind turbine blades.

"A flow control method for minimizing losses in a highly loaded compressor blade was analyzed. Passive and active flow control experiments with vortex generator jets were conducted on a seven blade linear compressor cascade to demonstrate the potential application of passive flow control on a highly loaded blade. Passive flow control vortex generator jets use the pressure distribution generated by air flow over the blade profile to drive jets from the pressure side to the suction side. Active flow control was analyzed by pressuring the blade plenum with an auxiliary compressor unit. Active flow control decreased profile losses by approximately 37 % while passive flow control had negligible impact on the profile loss of a highly loaded blade. Passive flow control was able to achieve a jet velocity ratio, jet velocity to upstream velocity, of 0.525. The success of active flow control with a velocity ratio of 0.9 suggests there is potential for passive flow control to be effective. The research presented in this thesis is motivated by the potential savings in the applications of passive flow control in gas turbine axial compressors by increasing the aerodynamic load of each stage. Increased stage loading that is properly controlled can reduce the number of stages required to achieve the desired pressure compression ratio."

De nombreuses recherches sont actuellement menées afin de réduire les émissions polluantesdes aéronefs. Le contrôle actif des écoulements aérodynamiques est une piste envisagéepour répondre à ces enjeux. Parmi les technologies de contrôle en développement, lestechnologies plasma offrent plusieurs avantages, dont la compacité, la simplicité de mise enoeuvre et la réactivité. Ce travail de thèse a été consacré à l’étude d’un actionneur plasmade type jet synthétique. Il se présente sous la forme d’une petite cavité insérée en paroiet reliée à l’extérieur par une tuyère. Un arc électrique est généré dans la cavité, ce quientraîne une augmentation de la pression de l’air dans celle-ci. Par conséquent, un jet estproduit à la sortie de la tuyère, et celui-ci peut interagir avec l’écoulement extérieur. A lasuite de cette phase d’éjection, de l’air extérieur est naturellement aspiré par la cavité, cequi permet au processus d’être répété à des fréquences pouvant atteindre plusieurs kilohertz.L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est de construire un modèle numérique capable dereproduire ces phénomènes physiques. Pour cela, un calcul aérodynamique de type LargeEddy Simulation est mis en oeuvre. L’action du plasma d’arc est prise en compte au traversde termes sources dans l’équation de l’énergie. Ces derniers sont notamment calculés grâceà l’hypothèse d’équilibre thermodynamique local dans le plasma. De plus, l’augmentationde la température dans la partie solide de l’actionneur est simulée lorsque celui-ci est opéréà haute-fréquence. Les résultats du modèle numérique sont comparés à des mesures de vitesseeffectuées lorsque l’actionneur fonctionne dans un environnement extérieur au reposet lorsque celui-ci interagit avec une couche limite. / Nowadays, many studies are conducted in order to decrease greenhouse gases and noiseemissions from aircrafts. Active aerodynamic flow control is a way considered to meet thesechallenges. Among developed technologies of control, plasma actuators offer several advantages,including compactness, easy implementation and fast response. This thesis is devotedto the study of a plasma synthetic jet actuator which comes in the form of a small cavityinserted in wall and connected to the environment through a nozzle. An electrical arc isgenerated in the cavity, resulting in an increase of the cavity air pressure. Consequently,a jet is produced at the nozzle exhaust that can interact with the external flow. After thisejection phase, an aspiration phase naturally occurs, allowing the process to be repeatedat a frequency that can reach several kilohertz. This thesis aims at building a numericalmodel able to reproduce these physical phenomena. To do so, a Large Eddy Simulationis performed. The action of the plasma arc is taken into account through source terms inthe energy equation. In particular, these source terms are calculated using the assumptionof local thermodynamic equilibrium in the plasma. In addition, the heating of the actuatormaterials is simulated when it is operated at high frequency. The results from the numericalmodel are compared with velocity measurements, carried out when the actuator works ina quiescent environment and when it interacts with a boundary layer.

Aeroacoustic investigations regarding different types of helicopter noise have indicated that the most annoying noise is caused by impulsive blade surface pressure changes in descent or forward flight conditions. Blade Vortex Interaction (BVI) is one of the main phenomena producing significant impulsive noise by the unsteady fluctuation in blade loading due to the rapid change of induced velocity field during interaction with vortices shed from previous blades. The tip vortex core structure and the blade vortex miss distance were identified as having a primary influence on BVI. In this thesis, piezoelectrically modulated and/or vectored blowing at the rotor blade tip is theoretically investigated as an active technique for modifying the structure of the tip vortex core as well as for increasing blade vortex miss distance. The mechanisms of formation and convection of rotor blade tip vortices up to and beyond 360 degrees wake age are described based on the CFD results for the baseline cases of a hovering rotor with rounded and square tips. A methodology combining electromechanical and CFD modeling is developed and applied to the study of a piezoelectrically modulated and vectored blowing two-dimensional wing section. The thesis is focused on the CFD analysis of rotor flow with modulated tangential blowing over a rounded blade tip, and with steady mid-plane blade tip blowing, respectively. Computational results characterizing the far-wake flow indicate that for steady tangential blowing the miss distance can be doubled compared to the baseline case, which may lead to a significant reduction in BVI noise level if this trend shown in hover can be replicated in low speed forward flight. Moreover, near-wake flow analysis show that through modulated blowing a higher dissipation of vorticity can be obtained.

This study presents the results of an experimental study that investigates the effects of uniform/waveform tip injection along the camberline on the total pressure loss characteristics downstream of a row of Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) blades. The experiments are performed in a low speed cascade facility. This injection technique involves spanwise jets at the tip that are issued from a series of holes along the camber line normal to the freestream flow direction. The injection mass flow rate from each hole is individually controlled using computer driven solenoid valves and therefore the flow injection geometrical pattern at the tip can be adjusted to any desired waveform shape, and can be uniform as well as waveform along the camber. Measurements involve Kiel probe traverses for different injection scenarios 0.5 axial chords downstream of the blades. Results show that, instead of performing uniform mass injection along the camberline, by selecting an appropriate waveform injection pattern one can reduce the total loss levels of the blade, including the tip leakage loss as well as the wake losses.