Control of fluid flow using electromagnetic body forces

In many engineering applications, the way natural fluid flows behave leaves some room for improvement. While geometric optimizations, such as streamlined shapes, require no additional energy input, they might not always be possible, feasible, or sufficient.

Another option is active flow control, where a suitable actuator more or less directly alters flow structures. Of the variety of such devices proposed for flow control applications, we focus on Lorentz force actuators. They consist of (permanent) magnets and electrodes, generating a body force near the wall it is attached to. The momentum added to the flow is linearly driven by an electric current.

The actuator can be applied to prevent transition from laminar to turbulent flow, a process that would otherwise lead to a rapid increase in drag. Its linear response is also advantageous when suppressing flow separation at inclined airfoils to prevent the loss of lift. The talk will cover both applications, and include numerical as well as experimental results.