Electroaerodynamic (EAD) devices use corona-induced ionic winds for in-atmosphere propulsion, from which EAD aircraft are derived with the advantages of low mechanical fatigue, low noise and zero carbon emissions. High electric field ionization of air produces charged particles that accelerate and then collide with air molecules in momentum to generate ionic winds and thrust. The EAD aircrafts are a high thrust-to-power ratio propulsion method, but its thrust and thrust density need to be improved. In this study, electrode unit arrays and multistage experiments are conducted on a staggered distribution of electrode configurations with low aerodynamic drag. The higher increase in thrust than linear superposition of electrode units of this structure in parallel compared to the collinear distribution. Based on the structure of electrode unit arrays and multistage, the open-loop flight test of the two-stage simple EAD aircraft is realized.
Simple Electroaerodynamic Aircraft Testing with Multistage Staggered Arrangement of the Electrodes
Springer Aerospace Techn.
International Conference on Advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems ; 2023 ; Harbin, China July 14, 2023 - July 16, 2023
2024-02-01
14 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English