Flow Separation Control Using Nanosecond Pulse Driven DBD Plasma Actuators

Control of Boundary Layer Separation and the Wake of an Airfoil using ns-DBD Plasma Actuators

“…For all measurements, data are acquired by establishing a separated flow baseline condition and then energizing the ns-DBD plasma actuator. This work is comparable to published results on a NASA EET (Little et al 2012) and NACA 0015 airfoil (Rethmel et al 2011) and is a continuation of the work done on the same NACA 0012 at the University of Arizona (Dengler 2015).…”

“…First, the capability of ns-DBD plasma actuators for controlling leading edge separation on a NACA 0012 is confirmed. This AFC technique has been used with great success for NASA EET (Little et al 2012) and NACA 0015 (Rethmel et al 2011) airfoils in the past and it is not surprising that it is also successful here. Second, the capability of ns-DBDs for exciting coherent vortical wakes is evaluated in detail.…”

“…Consequently, ns-DBDs are best suited for use in relatively thin boundary layers with well-known separation locations. The leading edge of an airfoil post-stall is a prime example of this and ns-DBD control of such flows has been widely reported (Starikovskii et al 2009, Rethmel et al 2011, Kelley 2014). …”

“…The use of ns-DBD plasma actuators for separation control has been well documented in recent years on various airfoils (Roupassov et al 2009, Rethmel et al 2011, Little et al 2012, Kelley 2014, Esfahani 2016. During these experiments, separation control at higher flow speeds was achieved (up to Mach 0.85 and Re > 10 6 ) and there was little optimization of the device for such situations.…”

“…The unsteadiness generation technique is based on the use of ns-DBD plasma actuators for boundary layer separation control. In previous efforts, ns-DBD plasma was used as a flow control actuator for delaying static airfoil stall (Roupassov et al 2009, Rethmel et al 2011, Little et al 2012, Kelley 2014. It was also observed that the ns-DBD could initiate vortex formation in the airfoil wake over a substantial bandwidth up to Re and Mach (M) numbers of 1.15 x 10 6 and 0.26 respectively (Rethmel et al 2011).…”