Visualising the Effects of Plasma on a Wing (Video)

Slightly off-topic, but undoubtebly interesting to people who enjoy watching glowing blobs zapping across the sky. Here's a nice post on a blog thats definitely worth reading, showing the effect that plasma has on airflow on an aerofoil. I can only dream about the things you could do with this technology with a billion dollar budget, and that's just looking at airflow. Imagine if plasma helps stealth too Would love to see the effect that this has on noise, imagine if you could cut the noise of a helicopter rotor by flicking the plasma switch!

Visualising the Effects of Plasma on a Wing

a reply to: gfad

It also has the unfortunate side effect of making confetti when things go bad. Really small confetti, really fast.

That link will not open.

a reply to: gfad

Lighting up an airfoil with a plasma is not stealthy.

Also, it is unlikely that a plasma would affect the lift of an airfoil. But plasma is easier to establish at lower pressures, so the low pressure area above the airfoil (assuming an upward lift) would make the plasma appear on one side of the airfoil well before establishing on the lower side (assuming you had vast energy to put into the plasma to overcome the disadvantage of high pressure).

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: gfad

It also has the unfortunate side effect of making confetti when things go bad. Really small confetti, really fast.

And yet..............

a reply to: Zaphod58

Just a guess but wouldn't manufacturing some kind of nano material cancel out the confetti effects ? I am sure they are way past this problem .OP thanks for the post and link .amazing

a reply to: gfad

Perhaps I'm reading too much into the void above the wing, but I wonder if that void helps, more or less, to suck the wing upward?

a reply to: Aliensun

Watch the flow on the bottom when it gets turned on .It moves up .

a reply to: the2ofusr1


The images are suggestive of a couple of different effects going on. But what did the scales show about the amount of lift when the plasma was on and off. Surely, there was an incredible amount of difference in the performance of the test.

a reply to: gfad

OK now the video is working, I can see that it's application is for reducing the detachment of airflow in a stall.

If I recall, there was a similar thing done for some low-speed, high lift planes where the air flow was broken (via an airfoil turbulator) close to the airfoil surface, which allowed a "slipprier" air flow to travel faster over the surface and actually prevented breakaway of the flow.

Here's a Wikipedia Article

a reply to: Zaphod58

must have gotten good at it, no b2's have been turned into confetti yet.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Any public examples?

a reply to: B2StealthBomber

Oh it's not a common issue, and there are ways to make it less risky. But it's always a risk when they're dealing with this.

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: Zaphod58

Just a guess but wouldn't manufacturing some kind of nano material cancel out the confetti effects ? I am sure they are way past this problem .OP thanks for the post and link .amazing

Cough graphene infused withcarbon nanotubes. cough.

a reply to: chr0naut

Another good option would be vortex generators on the leading surfaces. They allow for better airflow over the wing, increasing lift. Some light aircraft also have fences and Vortilons on the wings.

a reply to: Aliensun

The void with the plasma off is heading towards an ungood thing. When the air flow separates from the wing like that it eventually leads to a stall. You want air flowing over the wing, not separating from it like that.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Aliensun

The void with the plasma off is heading towards an ungood thing. When the air flow separates from the wing like that it eventually leads to a stall. You want air flowing over the wing, not separating from it like that.

What if they could introduce a postive charged plasma on th eleading edge and a negative on th eback of th ewing? IS that even possible and if so could that force air particle flow?

a reply to: yuppa

By injecting plasma into the wing airflow, that's exactly what happens. It pulls the air down along the wing and greatly increases the possible AoA of the wing.

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: gfad

Perhaps I'm reading too much into the void above the wing, but I wonder if that void helps, more or less, to suck the wing upward?

No, it's in a stall state like that.

originally posted by: yuppa

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Aliensun

The void with the plasma off is heading towards an ungood thing. When the air flow separates from the wing like that it eventually leads to a stall. You want air flowing over the wing, not separating from it like that.

What if they could introduce a postive charged plasma on th eleading edge and a negative on th eback of th ewing? IS that even possible and if so could that force air particle flow?

Not only yes, but that is the entirely the point of the plasma. In practice a charge is injected and by virtue of some AC electric fields and electrodes and various waveforms, the charges can be pulled electromagnetically down the stream, with the rest of the air getting pulled along. Stuff like this is in the open literature, at least at academic lab level.

Has effects on boundary layers and pressures. Difficulties are dynamical stability---plasma is notorious for having various kinds of turbulent and wavelike phenomena and if you're in an external environment with various challenges maintaining a stable system may be difficult. From what my Bothan implied to me, it's a bumpy ride.