Separation Control by Periodic Excitation and its Application to a High Lift Configuration

In a joint experimental and numerical study, the effect of periodic excitation on a twocomponent high lift configuration is investigated. At Reynolds numbers between 160, 000 and 2 × 10 the flow is influenced by periodic blowing and suction through a slot near the flap leading edge. The effects the excitation frequency and intensity are investigated using PIV measurements and numerical simulations based on the Unsteady Reynoldsaveraged Navier-Stokes equations (URANS) for different Reynolds numbers. Comparison of measured aerodynamic forces and flow visualisation to the numerical simulations allows a detailed analysis of the dominant structures in the flow field and the effect of flow control on these. The mean aerodynamic lift can be significantly enhanced by active flow control whilst the mean detachment on the flap is delayed.