Emerging Control Techniques of Fluid Flow

in Fluid Dynamics
Flg Offr Musaed Haq Taha1*, Flg Offr Nubassira Islam2 and Lec BM Saif3
1
Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Military Institute of Science & Technology,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
2
Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Military Institute of Science & Technology,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
3
Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Military Institute of Science & Technology,
Dhaka, Bangladesh

*
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. : Emerging flow control techniques have great

importance in the fields of fluid dynamics and aerospace
engineering. This review emphasises the existing flow control
methods used to improve fluid flow and reduce drag. This paper
mainly aims to discover the principles and applications of active and
passive flow control techniques. By conducting a literature review,
this study collected and organized relevant literature and review
papers related to active and passive flow control techniques and
summarized them. Important areas of focus include turbulence
modelling, boundary layer control, and how new materials influence
fluid flow behaviour. The result of this review paper indicates that
both methods have a great possibility of improving efficiency and
reducing drag. This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses
of active and passive flow control techniques and provides a
summary of them. Understanding and researching the technologies
and methods of active and passive flow control, can provide a
reference for researchers and engineers in the field of aviation
especially, and promote the development of flow control.

Introduction: Fluid flow control has great importance in the fields of

engineering, especially in the aspect of aerospace and aviation sectors. It plays a
crucial role starting from reducing aerodynamic drag to increasing energy
efficiency in fluid dynamics. It can manipulate the flow of fluid according to our
requirements. In our paper, we will mostly discuss active and passive flow control
techniques. We will also have a short discussion on hybrid flow control
techniques which have good prospects for the future. Active flow control
methods require a supply of external energy. It includes methods such as
synthetic jets, plasma actuators, or blowing and suction mechanisms which can
directly introduce fluid flow. This method provides the option of dynamic
applications where real-time adaptability is possible. Whereas, passive flow
control focuses on geometric modifications of aircraft structures. Methods include
riblets, vortex generators, and surface textures which can modify the airflow
without the input of external energy input. Passive flow control techniques are
often used where simplicity and energy efficiency are more important.
Researchers are finding hybrid approaches that modify both active and passive
flow control techniques, as well as leveraging data-driven models to optimize
control parameters in real time. This paper reviews the latest studies on
emerging flow control techniques and summarizes a detailed analysis of their
methodologies, strengths, weaknesses, and research gaps.
Literature Review: Fluid flow control is very useful in improvising the
aerodynamic characteristics of aircraft and making it better by reducing drag and
increasing the lift coefficient. Some of the methods of active and passive flow
control techniques have been reviewed below.
1. Active Flow Control (AFC) Techniques: Active flow control uses external
energy to manipulate fluid behaviour, enabling varied operation in varying flow
conditions.
1.1 Synthetic Jets
Synthetic jets are very useful in the control of flow separation and offer useful
methods. The first method is a stationary jet which measures 0.5% of the chord,
and the second method is a synthetic jet of that same order. [1] To gain optimal
results, the location of the actuators is very near the leading edge of the airfoil
on the suction surface. The findings indicate that the synthetic jet actuator
results in a considerable (29%) increase in lift for the post-stall period. Whereas,
the steady jet actuator has better performance at low lift values due to drag
reduction by the rotation of the lift vector in the upstream direction. These
results indicate qualitatively the possibility of these methods of flow control for
the betterment of airfoil aerodynamics, especially in post-stall conditions.
1.2 Plasma Actuators
The actuators in question can control the separation flow due to the movement
of momentum into the boundary layer, which results in increased effectiveness.
As a result, the magnitude of the recirculation regions and wake turbulent kinetic
energy (TKE) behind the bluff bodies are lowered. It has been found that the
turning on of plasma actuators reduced the drag coefficient on the drag surfaces
of the air. By imparting momentum to the regions adjacent to the wall, plasma
actuators can remove laminar separation bubbles (LSBs) with 60% efficiency.
Plasma actuators can control transient vortex shedding like Kármán vortex
streets by imposing body forces that can stabilize the fluid flow [1]. Plasma
Synthetic Jet Actuator is employed with exceptional effectiveness in high-velocity
pulsed jets (>300 m/s) at very high frequencies (>5 kHz), including, but not
limited to such tasks as flow separation control, jet noise suppression, and shock
wave/boundary layer interaction (SWBLI) control [2].
1.3 Blowing and Suction
One of the active flow control techniques is a suction method that involves
drawing air from the boundary layer into the wing. It is assumed that with this
method, the aerodynamic characteristics of the wind turbine blade would
improve. In this research, the suction jet width was held fixed while the other
parameters were varied. As another parameter, the SST k-ω turbulence model
was used for two-dimensional turbulent flow at 15 degrees angle of attack and
Re = 106. At first, the effect of the suction jet position was studied, and
afterwards, the effect of the suction jet ratio was observed. With the
implementation of the suction jet control method, the Cl value was raised from
about 1.211 to 1.8 and the Cd value was reduced from 0.068 to 0.0066 in
comparison to the uncontrolled case.[3]
2. Passive Flow Control (PFC) Techniques: Passive flow control relies on
fixed geometric modifications to influence flow behaviour without external
energy input.
2.1 Vortex Generators
Vortex generators are passive flow control devices which create streamwise
vortices in the boundary layer flow thus increasing the momentum. Such a
distribution of the flow improves the resisting ability of the near-wall flow to an
adverse pressure gradient which aids in preventing the separation of flow. Vortex
generators are useful in controlling dynamic stall in airfoils, and in wind turbines
as well [4]. In this paper the value of lift hysteresis intensity at moderate
unsteady cases is shown to decrease by 72.7%. This is accompanied by a
reduction of the decay exponent of the non-dimensionalized peak vorticity by
almost 0.02 for smaller VGs. Also, it is noted that further downstream installation
increases aerodynamic pitch damping by 0.0278.
2.2 Riblets
Riblets are longitudinal structures that are used in passive flow control to reduce
skin friction drag in turbulent boundary layers. Riblets works by changing the
structure of near-wall turbulence, leading to a decrease in turbulent shear stress
at the wall [1]. Riblets can achieve a drag reduction of up to a maximum of 10%
under perfect conditions. By maintaining a more attached flow over aerodynamic
surfaces, riblets delay flow separation. This delay will maximize the improvement
of the lift-to-drag ratio and aerodynamic characteristics at a high angle of attack.
2.3 Gurney Flaps
Gurney flaps are small, perpendicular tabs attached to the trailing edge of
airfoils, typically extending 1% to 2% of the wing chord. Gurney flaps increase
the maximum lift coefficient (C_L, max) of an airfoil. The papers related to "Wind
Tunnel Test of Gurney Flaps and T-Strips on an NACA 23012 Wing find that the
aerodynamic effects of these devices on a wing with a 15-inch chord and 90-inch
span experimented at Reynolds numbers of 0.51×10⁶, 1.02×10⁶, and 1.95×10⁶.
Gurney flaps having a length from 0.21% to 5.00% of chord length, increased the
lift coefficient, shifted the zero-lift angle of attack negatively, and maximized the
maximum lift coefficient. They also caused a nose-down pitching moment and
moved the aerodynamic centre rearward. [2].
3. Hybrid Flow Control Techniques
Hybrid flow control techniques include both passive and active techniques to
augment the flow in fluid dynamics. In passive control, a device such as vortex
generators or spoiler blades modifies the flow structure where no external power
input is needed; active control injects energy directly into the flow using
mechanisms such as blowing pipes or synthetic jets to manipulate the flow. The
hybrid combines both the above to obtain their benefits and thus optimized flow
performances for boundary layer ingestion, control of flow separation, shock
wave boundary layer interaction, etc. Techniques demonstrated multiplicative
improvements in flow distortion reduction, leading to enhanced stability and
aerodynamic performance for a variety of engineering systems from aircraft to
turbomachinery. The synergistic effect of control hybrid methodology outruns the
methodologies involving a single-flow control approach. Compared with
conditions without any flow control, a total reduction of 76.9% in the steady-state
distortion coefficients in the circumferential direction is achieved in the
optimization of the hybrid flow control scheme at an inlet blowing rate per cent
of 0.67 for inlet flow [3].
Findings and Results
The literature reviewed showed great progress in both proactive and reactive
flow control methods. Implemented techniques, such as synthetic jets and
plasma actuators, have revealed enhanced turbulence-induced aerodynamic
performance, as well as its suppression in the automotive and aerospace fields.
[4] [5]. Plasma actuators also perform remarkably well in boundary layer control,
especially concerning flow separation at high attack angles. [6] [7]. Nonetheless,
it is known that synthetic jets promote better mixing while prolonging the
transition to turbulence in several aerodynamic shapes. [8]. The application of
passive techniques, such as riblets and vortex generators, also has considerable
potential in drag reduction and laminar flow maintenance for energy-efficient
transport. [9] [10]. A more pronounced reduction in energy consumption, without
losing adaptability to varying flow conditions, is observed with hybrid control
systems that combine active and passive strategies. [11]. Recent techniques
using machine learning for computational models have made it easier to
optimize control approaches since they can instantly respond to changing flow
situations and adjust in real time. [11]. There is an ongoing study concerning
solutions to excessive power consumption in AFC systems and ageing problems
with PFC techniques. Future research will need to concentrate on the
optimization of hybrid models and the scalability and resilience of flow control
approaches. [12].
Strengths:

Devices like synthetic jets and plasma actuators are highly effective for flow
optimization of stability and drag reduction in vehicle and aerospace applications
[4, 6]. Long-term, low-maintenance or no-maintenance PFC technologies such as
vortex generators and riblets were found to be stable. [10].The synergy of AI and
CFD modelling offers better predictability for better experimental validation and
real-time control parameter optimization [3, 13]. The integration of AFC and PFC
techniques has enhanced high performance with high productivity at the
expense of reduced power. The flow control methods have been more pertinent
than ever before because of their effective application in a very broad variety of
applications like biomedical engineering, aerospace, and energy. [13].

Weaknesses:

AFC techniques, especially plasma actuators, are power-hungry and their

application in power-limited systems is thus limited [6] [13].Surface riblets and
other PFC technologies degrade in performance upon exposure to the
environment [7].Most of the hybrid solutions are costly and troublesome since
they need careful fine-tuning and integration with the existing legacy systems.
So, while computer simulations have become much more sophisticated, most
studies haven't reached the point of actually testing things in real life yet. It's
just that the equipment is very expensive and needs a lot of infrastructure.

Research Gaps:

Several AFC methods were implemented only at the laboratory level. Their
practicality for industrial applications is still questionable [5]. There are not
enough studies executed regarding the evolution and sustained performance of
different PFC techniques over a long period in practical settings [10]. Active
control techniques need to be more power efficient for commercial use and
future research should aim at that need [6]. Although there is expectation with
automatic control systems, their use in real-time in complex fluidic systems has
not been thoroughly researched [11]. More effort needs to be spent in the
refinement of hybrid AFC-PFC techniques to make sure that the advantages are
maximized while the disadvantages are minimized.

Conclusion
Advancements in the active, passive, and hybrid approaches to fluid control have
led to improved management in many fields. Even though active approaches
allow a certain degree of performance control and flexibility, the issue of energy
overhead remains. Passive approaches, on the other hand, provide greater
flexibility in energy consumption but are less dynamic. There are also some
positive results from integrative hybrid methods which combine AFC and PFC to
optimize losses from one with benefits from another. Along with computational
models, these ideas are simple to implement with AI-driven optimization and
control strategies. Still, there are many scopes to look into, such as large-scale
applications, checking the system's performance over time, and coping with the
system in real-time. Even though the scope for improvement still exists, hybrid
methods can be improved by making them more durable with less energy
consumption for AFC systems. Overcoming these tasks may prove to be more
practicable and scalable solutions to flow control problems in aerospace,
automotive, and energy domains. These gaps will have a huge impact on
allowing the next generation of fluid dynamics applications.
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