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The automatic control of boundary-layer transition: Experiments and computation

The automatic control of boundary-layer transition: Experiments and computation
The automatic control of boundary-layer transition: Experiments and computation

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the control of boundary-layer transition through the use of wall suction. In the current work suction is provided through one or more suction panels situated close to the leading edge of a plate. Experiments show that boundary-layer pressure fluctuation measurements can be used to identify the position of transition. Transition can be maintained at a desired location with minimum power consumption by employing an automatic adaptive feedback control loop which regulates the suction flow rates of two independent suction panels. This can be expressed as a constrained optimization problem. To allow the suction flow rates to be updated, a modified least mean squares algorithm is used within the control loop. Experimental measurements show that the control algorithm allows fast and stable convergence towards the optimum suction distribution for a double suction panel configuration. Numerical simulations have also been performed. The two-dimensional boundary layer was calculated allowing the viscous boundary layer to interact with the inviscid outer flow. Following linear stability theory the spatial growth rates are calculated by solving an Orr-Sommerfeld type eigenvalue problem, with the streamwise location of transition predicted via the eN -method. Applying the same optimization strategy as in the experiments, good qualitative agreement between computations and experiments was found. The optimization algorithm has been applied to computer models where the relation between suction flow rates and transition location is described by an empirical analytical function. This shows that the controller can in principle be applied to systems with more than two suction panels.

adaptive feedback control, boundary-layer transition, constrained optimization, e-method, suction
1573-1987
293-311
Hackenberg, Petra
ca6ca0f4-627d-4652-8872-9cc9ddb8b76a
Rioual, Jean Luc
69f1c285-0a0e-47fb-a37b-5c4f1503d86d
Tutty, Owen R.
c9ba0b98-4790-4a72-b5b7-09c1c6e20375
Nelson, Philip A.
5c6f5cc9-ea52-4fe2-9edf-05d696b0c1a9
Hackenberg, Petra
ca6ca0f4-627d-4652-8872-9cc9ddb8b76a
Rioual, Jean Luc
69f1c285-0a0e-47fb-a37b-5c4f1503d86d
Tutty, Owen R.
c9ba0b98-4790-4a72-b5b7-09c1c6e20375
Nelson, Philip A.
5c6f5cc9-ea52-4fe2-9edf-05d696b0c1a9

Hackenberg, Petra, Rioual, Jean Luc, Tutty, Owen R. and Nelson, Philip A. (1995) The automatic control of boundary-layer transition: Experiments and computation. FLow Turbulence and Combustion, 54 (4), 293-311. (doi:10.1007/BF00863515).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the control of boundary-layer transition through the use of wall suction. In the current work suction is provided through one or more suction panels situated close to the leading edge of a plate. Experiments show that boundary-layer pressure fluctuation measurements can be used to identify the position of transition. Transition can be maintained at a desired location with minimum power consumption by employing an automatic adaptive feedback control loop which regulates the suction flow rates of two independent suction panels. This can be expressed as a constrained optimization problem. To allow the suction flow rates to be updated, a modified least mean squares algorithm is used within the control loop. Experimental measurements show that the control algorithm allows fast and stable convergence towards the optimum suction distribution for a double suction panel configuration. Numerical simulations have also been performed. The two-dimensional boundary layer was calculated allowing the viscous boundary layer to interact with the inviscid outer flow. Following linear stability theory the spatial growth rates are calculated by solving an Orr-Sommerfeld type eigenvalue problem, with the streamwise location of transition predicted via the eN -method. Applying the same optimization strategy as in the experiments, good qualitative agreement between computations and experiments was found. The optimization algorithm has been applied to computer models where the relation between suction flow rates and transition location is described by an empirical analytical function. This shows that the controller can in principle be applied to systems with more than two suction panels.

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More information

Published date: 7 June 1995
Additional Information: This work is supported by Rolls Royce Plc, British Aerospace Regional Aircraft Limited and the U.K. Science and Engineering Research Council.
Keywords: adaptive feedback control, boundary-layer transition, constrained optimization, e-method, suction

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 468793
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/468793
ISSN: 1573-1987
PURE UUID: 2de9abaf-3440-4968-b8b0-e573027c74dd
ORCID for Philip A. Nelson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9563-3235

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Date deposited: 25 Aug 2022 17:20
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:32

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Contributors

Author: Petra Hackenberg
Author: Jean Luc Rioual
Author: Owen R. Tutty

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