Experimental Study of the Flow Induced by a Sinusoidal Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuator and Its Effects on a Flat Plate Natural Boundary Layer

Since the mid-1990s, electrohydrodynamic actuators have been developed for modifying on subsonic airflows. The principle of plasma action is the use of the direct conversion of electrical energy into kinetic energy in order to act on the flow boundary layer. This paper presents our contribution to such an investigation concerning an electrohydrodynamic actuator consisting of several sinusoidal dielectric barrier discharges. First, the ionic wind induced by this actuator was measured with a pressure sensing probe. The induced flow velocity increased with the applied voltage and frequency. The particle image velocimetry system without external airflow showed the presence of induced swirls, generated by the ion movement in plasma. Then the action of this actuator on a flat plate boundary layer in parallel flow at zero incidence was studied in a subsonic wind tunnel. Experiments were performed for 15 m/s and 22 m/s. They showed that electric discharges (±8 kV, 1 kHz) acting on a laminar flow tripped the laminar-to-turbulent transition. Moreover, higher applied voltages (up to ±12 kV, 1 kHz) were necessary for modifying turbulent boundary layers.

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