Numerical Simulation of Aerodynamic Plasma Actuator Effects

The aerodynamic plasma actuator has shown considerable promise as a flow control device in different applications. A model for the plasma body force was created from the basic principles. To account for the spatial and temporal behavior of the plasma discharge the lumped-element circuit model was used. The objective of this work is to relate the numerical model to the experimental results qualitatively and quantitatively, demonstrating that plasma actuator thrust is proportional to voltage at the electrodes raised to the 7/2 power (Umax ∼ V ). The obtained results are utilized to lead to optimum designs that enhance the actuators effectiveness at producing unsteady disturbances as a means to prevent or delay boundary layer separation.