Beneficial electrode arrangement for electroaerodynamic propulsion

A pair of asymmetrical electrodes under high voltage can produce an ionic wind and thrust. This has been proposed as an alternative method to the standard airplane engines of today. The main advantages of the ionic wind propulsion are no moving parts, near silent operation, and no combustion emissions. The first prototype airplane with solid-state propulsion based on the ionic wind flew in 2018. This paper reports on experiments with different electrode configurations and designs (aluminum tubes and an airfoil NACA 0021) for the generation of thrust by corona discharges. Some beneficial electrode arrangements are identified and a configuration with two grounded collector electrodes shows a maximum thrust of 820 mN/m and a thrust-topower ratio of 14.1 N/kW for a thrust of 100 mN/m. An EAD aircraft design for a flying wing UAV is discussed.