Research fields

• Aircraft Icing and Anti-Icing Systems
• Drag Prediction
• Laminar FlowControl
• Wind Turbine

Aircraft Icing and Anti-Icing Systems

Flight safety of aircraft operating under natural icing conditions that can be dangerous is one of certification authorities’ major concerns as well as that of aircraft manufactures. The objectives of the icing projects within the J.-A. Bombardier Aeronautical Chair are geared towards the development of reliable numerical tools for simulation of ice accretion and anti-icing systems. The simulation with CANICE can predict the ice accretion on single/multi element airfoils and wings in addition to evaluating the associated performance degradation due to the presence of ice. Recently, the J.-A. Bombardier Aeronautical Chair developed the innovating CANICE3D code to simulate the ice accretion in 3D and to optimize the anti-icing flow and heat requirements for aircraft anti-icing system design.

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Drag Prediction

During the aircraft design, an accurate prediction of drag is an essential requirement for performance prediction as well as efficient fuel consumption. Current researches within the J.-A. Bombardier Chair focuses on evaluating the accuracy of various drag prediction strategies and thus implies in-depth understanding of physical phenomena of each source of drag production. That also requires the analysis of important Navier-Stokes calculation in 2 and 3 dimensions. Finally the best strategies are introduced into the drag prediction code for complex geometries.

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Laminar Flow Control

Drag reduction constitutes important element for the development of the next generation of transport aircraft. Since the skin-friction drag represents close to half of the total aircraft drag, maintaining the boundary layer laminar by removing a small quantity of air through suction from the surface of the wing will translate into a substantial reduction of the total drag. The drag reduction that results will entail in turn a reduction in the fuel consumption which can also be seen as a reduction in polluting emissions. The present state of the technology permits drag reductions of the order of 10% on wings and close to 5% on empennages and nacelles. Research under the J.-A. Bombardier Aeronautical Chair develops numerical tools that will quantify the impact of Laminar Flow Control on the skin-friction drag of a plane wing for an incompressible or compressible flow.

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Wind Energy

Today, wind energy is rated as one of the fastest growing technologies. In the next five years, worldwide installed capacity of wind power will reach about 60,000 MW, which will provide electricity for more than 75 million people. The CARDAAV code has been specifically developed for the design and analysis of Darrieus-type and is now being used worldwide. The environmental, social and economic aspects of wind energy are emerging fields that provide useful information on integrating wind energy into the social spectrum as well as a pollution free environment, with, for example, the Darrieus wind turbines on the top of building as auxiliary electricity generators.

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