Company Moves To Meet Airframer Demand For Subsonic Natural
Laminar Flow Solutions
Aerion Corporation announced Monday at EBACE 2011 that due
to increased market demand for natural laminar flow (NLF)
expertise, the company has launched Aerion
Technologies ... a service that enables aircraft
manufacturers to integrate Aerion NLF design technologies into
faster and more efficient subsonic products. This activity will
serve as a highly specialized aerodynamics consultancy for
airframers, while Aerion also continues engineering activities for
its planned 8-12 passenger supersonic business jet (SBJ).
"Discussions with multiple aircraft manufacturers, especially in
recent months, have clearly demonstrated to us that there is demand
to expand our services to include our natural laminar flow
engineering for subsonic applications," said Robert M. Bass,
chairman of Aerion and president of Keystone Group, LP. "The
aviation industry is prepared to embrace and fund disruptive
technology for significant, quantifiable gains."
Aerion has found that the same proprietary technologies and
design tools that will enable a practical SBJ also can be a
game-changer in subsonic and transonic applications. During the
past 10 years, Aerion has developed one of the industry's most
extensive portfolios of NLF test data and methods for optimizing
its application to aircraft design, as well as assuring practical
manufacturing and operational aspects. Aerion Technologies' NLF
technology and design tools will help airframers push speed and
efficiency limits for next-generation aircraft.
"Civil and military aircraft manufacturers are under increasing
pressure to develop next-generation aircraft that can deliver
enhanced range, efficiency and other performance parameters," said
Aerion Vice Chairman Brian Barents. "And while I can't divulge
which airframers are interested in our technology, I can say that
the discussions are extremely promising and cover a wide range of
emerging aircraft types and missions."
Brian Barents
Laminar flow has been perhaps the most neglected variable
available to aircraft manufacturers and yet it may be the single
most beneficial way to squeeze further substantial improvements in
efficiency, range and speed. Under laminar boundary layer flow
conditions, the skin friction is reduced by about 90% compared to
the default turbulent layer. Achieving the contours necessary to
achieve extensive laminar flow conditions requires the coalescing
of new technologies, including the ability to rapidly assess and
optimize NLF configurations using computational fluid dynamics
programs created specifically for the purpose. These have been
developed by Aerion and verified in flight and wind tunnel tests,
as have manufacturing and operational criteria to assure practical
achievement of intended NLF advantages.
"While all airframers are becoming increasingly aware of this
potential, the technology has not generally been available in
usable form to business aircraft manufacturers," noted Dr. Richard
Tracy, chief technology officer. "Thus, manufacturers who wanted to
exploit this disruptive technology to remain competitive had no
choice until now except to begin the long process of developing
in-house expertise in integrating NLF into their design processes,
requiring development of advanced viscous analysis and design
optimization codes incorporating boundary layer transition
analysis. Aerion Technologies offers ready-for-use, proven tools
and expertise developed during more than a decade of analysis and
tests."