Use of Guide Electrode for Increasing Thrust and Thrust-to-Power Ratio in Electroaerodynamic Propulsion Systems

Electroaerodynamic propulsion systems, which use ionic wind resulting from corona discharge to generate thrust, have the advantages of being compact, lightweight, and silent. However, a critical challenge in improving thrust is that increasing the distance between the electrodes to increase the applied voltage increases the leakage of ions, which does not contribute to thrust, resulting in a reduced output thrust. To address this problem, this study proposes a method that uses a cylindrical Guide electrode placed at the same potential above the emitter to generate ions. As a result, this electrode changes the electric field distribution around the emitter and concentrates the electric field toward the collector, thereby suppressing ion leakage. Experimental results show that the addition of the Guide electrode significantly improves the maximum achievable thrust and thrust-to-power ratio, with a maximum thrust improvement of 36.6%. This study demonstrates a relatively more simple and effective electrode design for increasing the generated electroaerodynamic thrust and provides useful knowledge for the design of future high-efficiency and silent propulsion systems.