Xeriant, Inc., a new aerospace technology holding company,\nannounced that it has signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture with\nCoFlow Jet, LLC, a leading innovator in the field of high-performance airfoils,\nto further develop and commercialize CoFlow\u2019s revolutionary active flow control\nairfoil technology, which promises to dramatically improve the lift capability\nand cruise efficiency of fixed wing aircraft. This innovation stands to play a\nkey role in the nascent eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft\nsegment, projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040, based on a 2019 Morgan\nStanley report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An emerging field of fluid dynamics, active flow control\n(AFC) in aircraft applications is the on-demand manipulation of airflow around\naircraft structures. AFC techniques are generally aimed at reconfiguring\nairflow over the surface of the aircraft, which can have a substantial effect\non flight performance. Augmenting lift, reducing drag, and removing or delaying\nflow separation at low energy expenditure will significantly boost overall\naircraft performance with greater efficiency and noise suppression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CoFlow\u2019s patented AFC technology is specifically focused on\naltering the airflow characteristics of the most fundamental element enabling\nflight, the aircraft wing, and has the potential to significantly increase the\nmission productivity and efficiency of aircraft, and remove or replace\nconventional wing control surfaces such as flaps, slats and ailerons. As a\nunique technology, CoFlow\u2019s robust, energy-efficient and reliable AFC actuation\nsystem produces the control authority needed to enhance wing aerodynamic\nperformance throughout the entire flight regime, including takeoff, climb,\ncruise, descent, landing and maneuvers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur company is tremendously impressed with Dr. Zha and his\nteam\u2019s commitment to revolutionizing aircraft wing design and the aviation\nindustry. CoFlow\u2019s disruptive airfoil technology represents a generational\nbreakthrough and will transform the aerodynamic capabilities of fixed wing\naircraft. Xeriant has been in discussions with CoFlow over the past year, and\nthis LOI is an important step in furthering our relationship. We anticipate\nhaving a definitive JV agreement within the next few weeks,\u201d stated Xeriant\nCEO, Keith Duffy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CoFlow AFC airfoil utilizes powerful, energy efficient\nwing-embedded micro-compressor actuators to inject pressurized air over the\nwing surface through a suction and injection system. To create the desired\ncirculation and momentum, a small amount of air is suctioned at the wing\u2019s\ntrailing edge, energized, and injected tangentially at the leading edge. Wind\ntunnel tests and CFD simulations have demonstrated that CoFlow\u2019s AFC airfoil\ncreates a super-suction effect due to extremely low leading edge pressure,\nachieving an unprecedented stall angle of attack of 70 degrees or more, while\ntypical airfoils reach maximum lift in the range of 15 to 18 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the benefits of a fully integrated aircraft with\nCoFlow\u2019s AFC airfoil system are increased mission efficiency, augmented lift,\nreduced drag, better maneuverability, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL),\nextremely short takeoff and landing (ESTOL) distance, low speed flight, noise\nreduction, improved high-altitude performance, faster takeoff and climb, less\nmechanical complexity, longer flight range, slower landing approach speeds,\nreduced structure weight, smaller control surfaces, decreased operating costs\nand a heavier payload. Electrically-powered\naircraft, which need to be fully optimized for efficiency due to the low energy\ndensity of batteries, will particularly benefit from this technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CoFlow\u2019s AFC airfoil technology was developed over a period\nof 15 years by Dr. Gecheng Zha, Professor and Director of Aerodynamics and CFD\nLab at the University of Miami\u2019s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace\nEngineering. A NASA NIAC Fellow, ASME Fellow and AIAA Associate Fellow, Dr. Zha\nwas recently recognized as one of the World’s Top 2% of Scientists in Aerospace\nand Aeronautics for 2020 based on the standardized citation metrics organized\nby Stanford University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A strong proponent of green aviation, Dr. Zha has\ncollaborated with DARPA, NASA, NSF and the U.S. Air Force on AFC as well as\nother projects over his impressive career, including the Mars Mission. Dr. Zha\nhas also designed two innovative electric V\/STOL (vertical and\/or short takeoff\nand landing) aircraft concepts which incorporate CoFlow\u2019s AFC airfoil\ntechnology. Upon completion of its AFC airfoil development, plan for integration,\nand FAA certification, CoFlow will begin commercialization, most likely through\nlicensing arrangements with aircraft manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe look forward to securing the necessary funding to\ncomplete the development of our technology and bring it to market. CoFlow\u2019s\nsuperior technology will become an integral component of future aircraft, as\nthe industry moves toward reducing its carbon footprint,\u201d commented CoFlow\nPresident and Founder, Gecheng Zha, PhD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Xeriant, Inc., a new aerospace technology holding company, announced that it has signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture with CoFlow Jet, LLC, a leading innovator in the field of high-performance airfoils, to further develop and commercialize CoFlow\u2019s revolutionary active flow control airfoil technology, which promises to dramatically improve the lift capability […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-florida"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17280"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17281,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17280\/revisions\/17281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}