Prof. Frank K. Lu Prof. Don R. Wilson Richard R. Mitchell Eric M. Braun Akihiro Nozawa Phone: Fax: The University of Texas A R L I N G T O N Research in magnetohydrodynamics related to aerodynamics and propulsion has yielded few feasible applications, mainly because their power consumption would require generators far too large to fit onto an aerospace vehicle Electromagnetic flow control utilizes the Lorentz body force, which is created from the cross product of the current and magnetic fields Applying the Lorentz force only in the boundary layer of an airflow reduces the power consumption 1-2 orders of magnitude The Lorentz body force only works on an ionized substance, so several novel methods of creating ionization by seeding conductive nanoparticles into the upstream airflow of a wind tunnel are being researched After the airflow is seeded it is passed through a high voltage field (up to 20 kV) to effectively tear apart low ionization energy molecules (i.e. potassium carbonate), creating a ‘cold’ plasma that is passed through a Lorentz force field The Lorentz force field causes a pressure change over the actuator surface, eliminating the need for conventional control mechanisms like ailerons and flaps Introduction Aerodynamics Research Center Aerodynamics Research Center ( Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering ( Development of an Electromagnetic Boundary Layer Flow Control Facility Using Conductive Nanoparticle Seeding Seed Particle Injector Seeded Airflow Ionization Lorentz Force Actuator Future Work The figure below shows surface electrodes and embedded neodymium magnets interchanged to create a Lorentz force, L, that accelerates the airflow, U. After low speed testing, this facility has been designed for high speed testing in the Aerodynamics Research Center newly-upgraded supersonic wind tunnel Several publications detailing are in progress This produces a Lorentz force with a series of spikes corresponding to the boundaries of the magnets and electrodes In the second figure, the z- axis corresponds to the Lorentz force direction The seeded air is ionized with a 20 kV power supply split between electrodes placed perpendicular to the flow (~1” separation) The figures below show the ionization plate and the cold plasma generated when potassium carbonate is spread between two of the electrodes Experimental information will be gathered to produce an understanding of the magnitude of the pressure changes induced by electromagnetic geometry, voltage, conductivity, particle type and size, etc. Be A Maverick. ™ Conductivities in the literature obtained from ionization of pure air are on the order of.1 mho/m, we are looking for much higher values These higher values lead to an unknown Lorentz force actuator power consumption, so its power supply is modular and can support a range of conductivities DC batteries were used to build this power supply, which supplies each of up to 3 electrode pairs with V and up to 12 kW of power