Wind tunnel testing of multi-tip corona actuators on a symmetric airfoil

•15 corona actuators with triangular tips are tested on a NACA 0015 airfoil.•Lift increase, drag reduction and effectiveness are measured.•The multi-tip anodes improve the stall delay capability.•Optimal anodes shapes are found as function of tip sharpness and tips number.

A set of 15 different corona actuators with triangular tips on their anodes is studied by installing them on the leading edge of a NACA 0015 airfoil. Each actuator is identified by its tip sharpness and tips number/unit length. The aerodynamic forces on the airfoil are measured in the wind tunnel over a wide range of angles of attack, for different airstream velocities. The performance of the actuators is evaluated by means of several parameters, including critical and mean lift increase, drag reduction and power saving effectiveness. The best configurations are identified in terms of the above parameters.

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