Drag reduction in flow over a flat plate using active feedback control

This paper focuses on two-dimensional incompressible Newtonian fluid flow over a flat plate and studies the problem of reducing the frictional drag exerted on the plate using active feedback control. Several alternative control configurations, including both pointwise and spatially uniform control actuation and sensing, are developed and tested through computer simulations. All control configurations use control actuation in the form of blowing/suction on the plate and measurements of shear stresses along the plate. The simulation results indicate that the use of active feedback control, which employs reasonable control effort, can significantly reduce the frictional drag exerted on the plate compared to the open-loop values