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Acoustic Reduction of Flow Separation

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX10CF54P
Agency Tracking Number: 090101
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: T2.01
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2010-01-29
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2011-01-28
Small Business Information
Lynntech, Inc.
College Station, TX 77840-4023
United States
DUNS: 184758308
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Alan Cisar
 Principal Investigator
 () -
 alan.cisar@lynntech.com
Business Contact
 G. Hisaw
Title: Sr. Contracts Administrator
Phone: (979) 693-0017
Email: renee.hisaw@lynntech.com
Research Institution
 University of Texas at Dallas
 Not Available
 
Box 860688, MP 15
Richardson, TX 75083
United States

 (972) 883-2313
 Domestic Nonprofit Research Organization
Abstract

Airfoils produce more lift and less drag when the boundary layer is attached to the airfoil. With most aircraft there are combinations of airspeed and angle of attack where the boundary layer at least partially detaches from the airfoil. Reducing boundary layer detachment will increase lift and reduce drag. This will reduce fuel consumption saving money for the operator and improving control for the pilot. Two methods are known to improve boundary layer attachment: heating the air and supplying acoustic pressure at an airspeed and airfoil shape dependent frequency. Carbon nanotubes can be used to produce heating elements as thin as a layer of paint. Because they are thin they can be heated and cooled hundreds of times per second. This combination means that carbon nanotube heating elements can be thermoacoustic speakers to both heat the air stream and generate the appropriate acoustic frequency to maximize boundary zone attachment.

All system components have been demonstrated individually achieving TRL 2. Phase I will demonstrate multifrequency sound generation on surfaces in a wind tunnel using nanotube heating elements, and achieving TRL 3.
Phase II will include medium seals wind tunnel tests verifying the effects and achieving TRL 5.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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