During a commercial flight, the aircraft’s structure interacts with the ionized air particles, where the loose electrons in the metallic atoms of the structure generate electrostatic charges, which cause interference such as noise in the VHF radio-communication systems. Since the electrostatic charge affects electronic equipment and components, the most affordable solution, until now, is the charge incidence decrease in the equipment, reducing or redirecting it back to the atmosphere. The objective of this project is to create a source of alternate energy for the aircraft under the triboelectrification process, which will be accomplished by directing the particle flow to a high-tension condensation matrix, in order to decrease the voltage and create a source of energy that electrically powers the aircraft.

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Electrostatic as a Source of Power in an Aircraft
Laura Alejandra García González, Bogotá, Colombia.
lagarciag1@libertadores.edu.co
Octubre 15, 2015
During a commercial flight, the aircraft’s structure interacts with the ionized air particles, where the
loose electrons in the metallic atoms of the structure generate electrostatic charges, which cause
interference such as noise in the VHF radio-communication systems. Since the electrostatic charge
affects electronic equipment and components, the most affordable solution, until now, is the charge
incidence decrease in the equipment, reducing or redirecting it back to the atmosphere. The objective of
this project is to create a source of alternate energy for the aircraft under the triboelectrification
process, which will be accomplished by directing the particle flow to a high-tension condensation
matrix, in order to decrease the voltage and create a source of energy that electrically powers the
aircraft.
BACKGROUND
The triboelectrification is a type of contact
electrification in which certain materials are
electrically charged after entering in friction
with a different material. This type of
process is used in important applications,
such as the charging of electrophotography
toner and triboelectric separation (Ireland,
2010). Another application of this technique
is the nano-generation of wind energy, in
which the electrical charges produced by the
wind in the windmill blades are evaluated
(Ya Yang, 2013). It’s worth mentioning that
the continuous particle flow charge during
the interaction with solid surfaces is little
known, and the design of devices to
optimize triboelectric behavior is often
qualitative or based on trial and error
(Ireland, 2010).
Throughout aeronautical history, it has been
observed that electrostatic charges produced
by the friction between the aircraft’s surface
and the atmosphere’s charged particles,
cause interference with most of the aircraft’s
electrical equipment. The most common
problem regarding interference issues is the
radiofrequency noise, which covers a big
interval of frequencies even in GHz
(Ryzeummings, 1970).
The electrostatic charges are caused by high
speeds and the static precipitation or static
conduction resulting from the aircraft’s
proximity to electrified clouds. The solution
that was given to this problem was to install
static wicks on the wing’s and stabilizers’
surfaces and propellers, which have a
resistance of 10 mega ohms in all their
length to equilibrate the charges through
their polarization (Beach, 1946).
Several experimental tests of electrostatic
energy harvesting system and the
electrification of the typical carbon fiber
composites (CFC) in the aircraft have been
carried out during the last years (Xiea,
Huangb, Guob, & Torrub, 2014). This
system is taken as basis for the energy
harvesting phase in the project.
PROJECT’S DEVELOPMENT
The static electricity is an imbalance of
electrical charges in or on the surface of a
material, in which the charge is held until it

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is capable of getting away through an
electrical current or electrical discharge
(Dhogal, 1986). Because of this, the
electrical discharge will be guided in order
to give electric potential to the aircraft.
To start the investigation process, the
amount of static energy present in the
atmosphere must be measured, taking into
account that the measuring instrument
potential does not distort it. Typically, this
measuring process is done by registering
data from an isolated probe that works with
a rotating capacitor and an amplifier of the
electrostatic signal received (Carrol,
Hammond, & Stewart, 1955). Another way
of measuring the electrostatic produced by
the air is through a frequency spectrum
deviation produced by the electrostatic field.
The instrument to be built will be made of
an electrostatic discharge generator (ESD),
an oscilloscope, a metallic semi-circle loop
and a Faraday cage (Qiyuan, Shanghe, &
Jingping, 2006).
In order to obtain the resulting amount of
electrostatic energy during the aircraft’s
cruise flight, the atmospheric conditions
must be simulated in a wind tunnel, with an
air flow at different speeds on a wing airfoil
(Khlystov, Lin, & Katul, 2012). The
measurement is made to determine the
electrostatic levels produced in the
atmosphere, thus knowing the type of
receptor and converter of the current to be
used.
A roman generator is taken as the base of
the electric energy generator, which works
in the opposite way to the purpose of this
investigation, since it works from electrical
impulses to generate electrostatic discharges
throughout floating electrodes (Diaz &
Roman, 2005). Hence a filter that harvests
and deviates the electrostatic energy to a
high-tension condensation matrix will be
used, which will be preceded by an
equipment that will decrease the voltage
received to one that suitable for use on the
aircraft.
It is important to consider that the voltage
generated by the electromagnetic field,
usually is much bigger than the one bore by
most of the aircraft’s equipment. For this
reason, it must be determined what the
electrostatic field electrical potential is,
based on the data taken at the beginning of
the process, as well as on equation (1). The
type of resistance to be used is then
identified in order to minimize the
electrostatic tension produced.
𝑉𝑓 − 𝑉0 = ∫ 𝐸⃗ ∗ 𝑑𝑆⃗⃗⃗⃗ [1]
Where:
Vf = Final Voltage
V0 = Initial Voltage
dS = Surface differential
E = Electric Field
Figure 1. Electrostatic field (Wikimedia
Commons , 2010)
It must be considered that the energy flow
will guided by means of semiconductor
cables connected to the areas with the
greatest electrostatic, such as the wing’s

3. 3
surface, horizontal and vertical stabilizers,
and the propellers. After the conversion
process of electrostatic energy to electric
energy with a magnitude suitable to the
airborne equipment, it’ll be stored in a
battery used as the energy source for the
aircraft. (Quach, et al., October, 2013)
CONTRIBUTION
The most valuable contribution of this
project to the aeronautical field is that it may
be used for designing an electric-powered
aircraft, as it opens the possibility of using
the electrostatic energy as an alternate
energy source. Electrostatic used to be
considered more as a problem rather than as
a source to power the aircraft, and taking
advantage of it will contribute to the
environment protection.
This type of investigation develops the
creativity, promotes cultural interaction and
is in compliance with the societal challenge
of using environmental friendly alternate
sources of energy. All of these reasons are
linked to the educational purpose of the
Harvard School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences, since this project will positively
contribute to technology development
through innovation in aeronautics.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(n.d.).
Beach R. (1946). Elimination of static
electricity from the aircraft. ieee, 1.
Carrol J., Hammond S., & Stewart E. H.
(1955). Measuring and recording
atmospheric electroestatic potential.
AIEE, 518.
Dhogal. (1986). Static Electricity. In Basic
Electrical Engineering, Vol. 1 (p. p.
41.). Tata McGraw-Hill.
Diaz O., & Roman F. (2005). Design And
Construction Of A Compact
Electrostatic Fast Impulse Current
Generator. Bogota D.C., Colombia:
IEEE.
Ireland P. M. (2010). Triboelectrification of
particulate flows on surfaces: Part I.
Power Technology, 189-198.
Khlystov, Lin, & Katul. (2012). Ultrafine
particle deposition to vegetation
branches: wind tunnel investigation
of the effect of canopy medium and
particle size and charge. North
Carolina: American Geophysical
Union.
Qiyuan H., Shanghe L., & Jingping, C.
(2006). Study on frequency spectrum
of Air Electrostatic Discharge.
CEEM/Dalian, 45.
Quach C., Bole B., Hogge E., Vazquez S.,
Daigle M., Celaya J., et al. (October,
2013). Battery charge depletion
prediction on an electric aircraft.
Annual conference of the prognostics
and health management society.
Ryzeummings L. (1970). Tiboelectric
Charging Of Aircraft Dielectric
Surfaces In The Microwave
Frequency A Region(1-4Ghz). Air
force base, Ohio: Technical Report
AFAL-TR-70-137.
Wikimedia Commons . ( 2010, October 12).
Retrieved October 01, 2015, from

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki
/File:Electrostatic_induction.svg
Xiea H., Huangb Z., Guob S., & Torrub E.
(2014). Feasibility of an
Electrostatic Energy Harvesting
Device for CFCs Aircraft. Asia-
Pacific International Symposium on
Aerospace Technology.
Yang Y., Zhu G., Zhang H., Chen J., Zhong
X., Lin Z. -H., et al. (2013). ACS
publications. Retrieved october 1,
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http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/n
n4043157
Department of Defense, (2010)
Electromagnetic environmental
effects requirements for systems,
MIL-STD-464C, Department of
Defense, USA.
Giuliano A., Marsic V., Zhu M., (2012).
Implementation and testing of an
elastic strain powered wireless
sensing system for energy
autonomous applications, IEEE
International Conference on
GreenCom; (20-23): 681-684.