High Aspect Ratio Multi-stage Ducted Electroaerodynamic Thrusters for Micro Air Vehicle Propulsion

TL;DR

This paper explores multi-stage ducted electroaerodynamic thrusters for micro air vehicles, demonstrating high thrust density and efficiency improvements through geometric optimization and serial stage integration.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multi-stage ducted thruster design with optimized electrode geometries, achieving high thrust density and efficiency suitable for MAV propulsion.

Findings

Achieved a thrust density of about 18 N/m$^2$ with five stages.

Attained a thrust efficiency of about 2 mN/W, among the highest at this scale.

Demonstrated potential for MAV wing integration as distributed propulsion.

Abstract

Electroaerodynamic propulsion, where force is produced through collisions between electrostatically accelerated ions and neutral air molecules, is an attractive alternative to propeller- and flapping wing-based methods for micro air vehicle (MAV) flight due to its silent and solid-state nature. One major barrier to adoption is its limited thrust efficiency at useful disk loading levels. Ducted actuators comprising multiple serially-integrated acceleration stages are a potential solution, allowing individual stages to operate at higher efficiency while maintaining a useful total thrust, and potentially improving efficiency through various aerodynamic and fluid dynamic mechanisms. In this work, we investigate the effects of duct and emitter electrode geometries on actuator performance, then show how a combination of increasing cross-sectional aspect ratio and serial integration of multiple stages can be used to produce overall thrust densities comparable to commercial propulsors. An optimized five-stage device attains a thrust density of about 18 N/m$^2$ at a thrust efficiency of about 2 mN/W, among the highest values ever measured at this scale. We further show how this type of thruster can be integrated under the wings of a MAV-scale fixed wing platform, pointing towards future use as a distributed propulsion system.