Acoustic testing of the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator has been shown to be effective for flow control. Much remains unanswered, however, as to how the actuator couples momentum into air. A better understanding of the coupling mechanism is crucial to determining the performance limitation of the actuator and the breadth of applications to which it can be applied. The small physical volume and transient nature of the actuator plasma make it difficult to make direct measurements. In previous work we have investigated the plasma actuator’s optical emission signature extensively. In this work, we measure and analyze the acoustic emissions, both directional characteristics and waveform, from an actuator in an attempt to shed light on the coupling process. Two sets of measurements were made, each using a different apparatus. Both sets of tests reveal that the actuator adds a larger amount of momentum into the air during the negative-going half of the AC voltage cycle and a smaller amount on the other half of the cycle. It was observed that the acoustic pattern produced is a radiation pattern characteristic of a coherentlydriven system. The results suggest that compressibility effects may play a role in the momentum coupling.

[1]  Miguel R. Visbal,et al.  A Coupled Approach for Plasma-Based Flow Control Simulations of Wing Sections , 2006 .

[2]  E. Jumper,et al.  Mechanisms and Responses of a Dielectric Barrier Plasma Actuator: Geometric Effects , 2004 .

[3]  S. Wilkinson,et al.  Flow re-attachment and acceleration by paraelectric and peristaltic electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects , 2003 .

[4]  Stephen P. Wilkinson,et al.  Investigation of an Oscillating Surface Plasma for Turbulent Drag Reduction , 2003 .

[5]  Lennart S. Hultgren,et al.  Demonstration of Separation Delay With Glow-Discharge Plasma Actuators , 2003 .

[6]  Eric J. Jumper,et al.  Mechanisms and Responses of a Single Dielectric Barrier Plasma Actuator: Plasma Morphology , 2004 .

[7]  Thomas C. Corke,et al.  Phased plasma arrays for unsteady flow control , 2000 .

[8]  P. Stephen,et al.  Boundary Layer Flow Control With a One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Surface Plasma , 1998 .

[9]  Thomas McLaughlin,et al.  Using Plasma Actuators Flaps to Control Laminar Separation on Turbine Blades in a Linear Cascade , 2003 .

[10]  Thomas McLaughlin,et al.  PARAMETRIC INVESTIGATIONS OF A SINGLE DIELECTRIC BARRIER PLASMA ACTUATOR , 2004 .

[11]  Thomas Corke,et al.  Plasma Actuators for Separation Control of Low-Pressure Turbine Blades , 2006 .

[12]  Eric J. Jumper,et al.  APPLICATION OF WEAKLY-IONIZED PLASMAS AS WING FLOW-CONTROL DEVICES , 2002 .

[13]  Thomas McLaughlin,et al.  Parameterization of Temporal Structure in the Single Dielectric Barrier Aerodynamic Plasma Actuator , 2006 .

[14]  Eric J. Jumper,et al.  Phase Synchronization of Vortex Shedding from Multiple Cylinders Using Plasma Actuators , 2003 .

[15]  Daniel R. Raichel.  The science and applications of acoustics , 2000 .

[16]  J. Roth,et al.  Electrohydrodynamic Flow Control with a Glow-Discharge Surface Plasma , 2000 .