Transient Distortion and Swirl Generator Using Circulation Control Airfoils

Propulsion systems for next generation air platforms will have significant challenges due to the complicated integration effects of the engine inlet. These effects will cause, among other things, unsteady distortion and swirl. This leads to significant operational challenges for the fan and compressor, which in turn, can cause performance degradation, reduced life, and in sever cases, rapid equipment failure. Therefore, the United States Air Force (USAF) through the STTR topic AF23C-T003 is requesting a device that can impart transient distortion and swirl in ground test facilities so we can study and mitigate the effects. In response to this need, Spectral Energies, LLC (SE) proposes to develop a novel modification of a Circulation Control airfoil in a radial array configuration. The proposed effort will develop a novel technology to overcome the major limitations to current distortion generation devices. Moreover, the proposed technology solution is scalable, and adaptable to create arbitrary pressure, temperature, and swirl distributions at any size scale required for a given rig or engine test program.  During Phase I, SE will demonstrate the concept using a single airfoil and in Phase II, the full-scale system will be designed, optimized, built, and tested.