An experimental investigation into the dynamics and sensor feedback integration of an actively controlled three-dimensional turbulent wall jet

Abstract

An experimental study is presented on the active control of a three-dimensional turbulent wall jet at Re = 137 000 using eight independent synthetic jet actuators. This investigation develops a sensor feedback control approach that enhances the lateral growth beyond what has previously been reported. Changes in the unsteady wall pressure field and the two-dimensional velocity field at y/D = 0.5 are explored in response to the variation of a single phase-angle between the synthetic jet array. These findings are used to develop a genetic algorithm-based feedback control approach with four independent phase-angle inputs. Changes in the unsteady wall pressure field linked to the development of large-scale structures are identified and integrated into the control approach, which resulted in an increased lateral growth of up to 170%, 30% greater than the previous optimal lateral growth. New development, including instances of the potential core splitting and bifurcation are additionally presented.