Marios Kotsonis

Measurement of the body force field of plasma actuators

A novel technique is proposed and investigated for the estimation of the body force field resulting from the operation of a dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator. The technique relies on the measurement of the spatio-temporal evolution of the induced velocity field using high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV). The technique has the advantage of providing spatial distribution of the body force vector field. A full Navier–Stokes term decomposition is applied on the evolving field along with additional closure norms in order to decouple the pressure gradient and body force terms. Results are compared with load-cell measurements of the direct reaction force and also momentum balance calculations based on the PIV field. Agreement between the different methods is observed. The data can easily be incorporated in computational flow solvers and also be used for validation and calibration of numerical plasma models.

Nanosecond-pulsed plasma actuation in quiescent air and laminar boundary layer

An experimental investigation of the working principles of a nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (ns-DBD) plasma actuator has been conducted. Special emphasis is given on the thermal effects accompanying the rapid deposition of energy associated with this kind of actuation. A ns-DBD plasma actuator has been operated in quiescent air conditions as well as in a flat plate laminar boundary layer, with external flow velocity of 5 and 10ms −1 . Schlieren imaging and particle image velocimetry have been used to characterize the actuation. Additionally, the back-current shunt technique has been used for current measurements, from which energy input (per pulse) is calculated. Cases of 10-, 20- and 50-pulse bursts are tested. Schlieren imaging in still air conditions shows the formation of a high-temperature region in the vicinity of the discharge volume. The spatial extent of the visible ‘hot spot’ depends upon the number of pulses within the burst, following a power law. Schlieren imaging of the span-wise effect of the plasma actuator reveals weak compression waves originating from the loci of discharge filaments. The thermal ‘hot spots’ exhibit significant three-dimensionality. Particle image velocimetry is used to measure the velocity field resulting from the ns-DBDs acting on a laminar boundary layer. The disturbance leads to formation of a Tollmien‐Schlichting wave train, with spectral content in good agreement with linear stability theory. It is observed that the group length of the wave train is proportional to the number of pulses within the burst.

Performance improvement of plasma actuators using asymmetric high voltage waveforms

An experimental study is conducted on high voltage waveforms used to power plasma actuators. Shapes that present an asymmetry between the two half cycles are investigated by means of induced thrust and velocity measurements. A parametric study is performed based on thrust measurements in order to find the optimum shape within the tested range. An asymmetric waveform which is made as a combination of sinusoidal and square shapes is found to increase produced thrust by almost 30% compared with the conventional sinusoidal waveform. The asymmetric waveform is further analysed using time-resolved particle image velocimetry in order to reveal the forcing mechanism governed by the shape differences. It is shown that the shape of the waveform has a significant effect on the performance of the actuator. Push and pull events occur within the actuation period and their respective strength and duration closely correlates with the shape of the waveform. It is found that the pull event is significantly weakened for the case of the optimized asymmetric waveform in comparison with the sinusoidal shape. This effectively increases the net momentum transfer and an improvement of approximately 40% in maximum induced velocity is achieved compared with sine waveform. Power consumption due to the asymmetric waveform is marginally increased which provides a significant increase in the actuators relative efficiency.

Effect of external flow velocity on momentum transfer of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators

An experimental study is performed towards identifying cross-talk effects between DBD plasma actuators and external flow. An actuator is positioned in a boundary layer operated in a range of free stream velocities from 0 to 60 m/s, and tested both in counter-flow and co-flow forcing configurations. Electrical measurements are used for estimating the power consumption and the discharge formation is visualized using a CCD camera. The actuators force is measured using a sensitive load cell. Results show the power consumption is constant for different flow velocities and actuator configurations. The plasma light emission is constant for co-flow forcing but shows a trend of increasing intensity with counter-flow forcing for increasing free stream velocities. The measured force is constant for free stream velocities larger than 20 m/s, with same magnitude and opposite direction for the counter-flow and co-flow configurations. In quiescent conditions, the measured force is smaller due to the change in wall shear force by the induced wall-jet. An analytical model is presented to estimate the influence of external flow on the actuator force. It is based on conservation of momentum through the ion-neutral collisional process while including the contribution of the wall shear force. Satisfactory agreement is found between the prediction of the model and experimental data at different external flow velocities.

Experimental study on dielectric barrier discharge actuators operating in pulse mode

An experimental investigation is performed on the operation of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators used as manipulators of secondary and unsteady flow structures such as boundary layer instabilities or shedding vortices. The actuators are tested mainly in pulse mode. High sample rate hot-wire measurements of the induced velocity field downstream of the actuator are taken for the cases of pulse actuation in still air as well as in a laminar boundary layer. Complementary voltage and current measurements are taken to calculate power consumption. Additionally, a study on the influence of the pulse frequency and duty cycle of actuation is performed. Results show the effectiveness of plasma actuators in inducing fluctuating components of velocity when operated in pulse mode. Spectral analysis reveals the connection between the actuator driving signal and the induced flowfield. The magnitude as well as the consistency of the resulting fluctuating field are dependent on both the duty cycle and the pulse frequency. An empirical operational envelope based on phenomenological observations is proposed, for the use of the actuators at specific flow and operational conditions given in the paper.

Numerical Study on Control of Tollmien-Schlichting Waves Using Plasma Actuators

A numerical investigation on the use of plasma actuators for transition control is presented. The numerical framework involves the solution of the full unsteady 2D incompressible Navier Stokes equations using a finite volume formulation. The set of equations is formulated by solving for the perturbations in the flow while a mean laminar boundary layer flow is considered fixed and superimposed. The effect of the plasma actuator is represented as an imposed unsteady body force distribution derived from experimental measurements. Furthermore, an adaptive control system based on the filtered-x LMS algorithm is implemented directly into the flow solver. The control system uses pressure signals at the wall in order to compute the frequency, phase and amplitude of the plasma body force which minimizes the intensity of the propagating TS waves. Results show large reductions in wave amplitude for both single and multi frequency cases.

Characterisation of plasma synthetic jet actuators in quiescent flow

An experimental characterisation study of a large-volume three-electrode plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA) is presented. A sequential discharge power supply system is used to activate the PSJA. Phase-locked planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) and time-resolved Schlieren imaging are used to characterise the evolution of the induced flow field in quiescent flow conditions. The effect of orifice diameter is investigated. Results indicate three distinct features of the actuator-induced flow field. These are the initial shock waves, the high speed jet and vortex rings. Two types of shock waves with varied intensities, namely a strong shock wave and a weak shock wave, are issued from the orifice shortly after the ignition of the discharge. Subsequently, the emission of a high speed jet is observed, reaching velocities up to 130 m s−1. Pronounced oscillation of the exit velocity is caused by the periodical behaviour of capacitive discharge, which also led to the formation of vortex ring trains. Orifice diameter has no influence on the jet acceleration stage and the peak exit velocity. However, a large orifice diameter results in a rapid decline of the exit velocity and thus a short jet duration time. Vortex ring propagation velocities are measured at peak values ranging from 55 m s−1–70 m s−1. In the case of 3 mm orifice diameter, trajectory of the vortex ring severely deviates from the actuator axis of symmetry. The development of this asymmetry in the flow field is attributed to asymmetry in the electrode configuration.

Experimental Study on the Body Force Field of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuators

An experimental investigation on thrust and body force of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) /plasma actuators aimed at low power flow control applications is presented. A parametric study on thrust is conducted for a wide range of geometrical configurations as well as several electrical operational conditions. Direct measurements of the induced thrust are taken using a highly sensitive load cell. Simultaneous readings of current and voltage are also performed, providing the power consumption. Furthermore a novel technique for determination of the spatial distribution of the body-force is proposed, developed and tested. The technique involves the use of a high-speed PIV system to resolve all terms of the Navier-Stokes equation representation of the flow field including body force. Results reveal the existence of an explicit relation between voltage, thrust and consumed power. Furthermore the influence of the geometrical configuration of the actuator on the thrust is shown. The body force obtained with the proposed technique agrees well with the thrust measurements.

Electro-mechanical efficiency of plasma synthetic jet actuator driven by capacitive discharge

A simplified model is established to estimate the jet exit density variation of a plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA) driven by a capacitive arc discharge. This model, in conjunction with phase-locked planar particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) measurements, enables the calculation of jet mechanical energy for different operating conditions. Discharge energy is directly calculated based on waveforms of applied voltage and discharge current. The ratio of jet mechanical energy to discharge energy provides the absolute electro-mechanical efficiency. Results indicate that PSJA is characterized by a rather low electro-mechanical efficiency in the order of 0.1%, while the maximum observed value under tested conditions is 0.22%. Electro-mechanical efficiency improves significantly with nondimensional energy deposition, and appears largely independent of jet exit diameter.

Interaction between plasma synthetic jet and subsonic turbulent boundary layer

This paper experimentally investigates the interaction between a plasma synthetic jet (PSJ) and a subsonic turbulent boundary layer (TBL) using a hotwire anemometer and phase-locked particle imaging velocimetry. The PSJ is interacting with a fully developed turbulent boundary layer developing on the flat wall of a square wind tunnel section of 1.7 m length. The Reynolds number based on the freestream velocity (U∞ = 20 m/s) and the boundary layer thickness (δ99 = 34.5 mm) at the location of interaction is 44 400. A large-volume (1696 mm3) three-electrode plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA) with a round exit orifice (D = 2 mm) is adopted to produce high-speed (92 m/s) and short-duration (Tjet = 1 ms) pulsed jets. The exit velocity variation of the adopted PSJA in a crossflow is shown to remain almost identical to that in quiescent conditions. However, the flow structures emanating from the interaction between the PSJ and the TBL are significantly different from what were observed in quiescent conditions. I...