Aerofoil noise reduction by active flow control

Trailing-edge noise, generated by a turbulent boundary layer scattering off the rear of an aerofoil/blade in flow, is an unavoidable and often large contributor to overall aircraft and wind turbine noise. To reduce this noise various permanent (passive) adaptations to blade surfaces can be made, however due to the very different regimes faced it is difficult to design a new aerofoil which is acoustically advantageous in all possible flow regimes. This project therefore seeks to understand the noise reduction possibilities of active flow control, which can be turned on or off at will and therefore can tackle the most important flow conditions which generate large amounts of unwanted noise, such as during aircraft landing.