An Experimental Investigation of Lorentz Force Actuators for Control of Separated Flows and Associated Noise Around Marine Vehicles

Recent numerical and experimental findings have shown that Lorentz forces from a static electro-magnetic field cam affect turbulence in boundary layers and reduce or eliminate separated regions with minimal effect on drag. Conversely, forces from oscillatory fields have resulted in significant drag reduction in numerical simulations. Oscillatory fields have the advantage of reduced mean power consumption rate and minimized electrolysis at higher current densities. The researchers are interested in applying the oscillatory Lorentz forces to separated flows and evaluating their effectiveness when scaled up to autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and submarine sizes.