Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators for Aerodynamic Control, Phase I

Flow control is critical to the effective operation of space vehicles where high velocities must be achieved with minimum power consumption. Recent studies at Princeton have demonstrated the utility of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators for aerodynamic control. Nanosecond pulse sustained DC driven DBDs are predicted to have much higher flow velocities than conventional control systems. Our initial work in the area discovered that these devices produce charge build-up on pulse sustained DC driven DBDs which has hindered the realization of this prediction. If the charge build-up can be minimized, the DC driven DBDs have the potential for higher flow control efficiency than previously attainable with either AC or DC driven DBDs in laboratory experiments. The proposed research will develop integrated surface structures that simultaneously optimize the DBD performance to take advantage of the pulse or RF sustained DC bias approach while suppressing the surface charge build up. This success of this project will be critical for the development of a practical DBD actuator that can be implemented as a control device.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.