Experimental Investigation on the Characteristics of Sliding Discharge Plasma Aerodynamic Actuation

A new electrical discharge called sliding discharge was developed to generate plasma aerodynamic actuation for flow control. A microsecond-pulse high voltage with a DC component was used to energize a three-electrode actuator to generate sliding discharge. The characteristics of plasma aerodynamic actuation by sliding discharge were experimentally investigated. Discharge morphology shows that sliding discharge is formed when energized by properly adjusting microsecond-pulse and DC voltage. Compared to dielectric barrier discharge （DBD）, the plasma extension of sliding discharge is quasi-diffusive and stable but longer and more intensive. Results from particle image velocimetry （PIV） test indicate that plasma aerodynamic actuation by sliding discharge can induce a ＇starting vortex＇ and a quasi-steady ＇near-wall jet＇. Body force induced by plasma aerodynamic actuation is about the order of mN, which is stronger than that induced by single DBD. It is inferred that microsecond-pulse sliding discharge may be more effective to generate large-scale plasma aerodynamic actuation, which is very promising for improving aircraft aerodynamic characteristics and propulsion efficiency.

Flow control performance evaluation of a tri-electrode sliding discharge plasma actuator

Tri-electrode sliding discharge(TED)plasma actuators are formed by adding a direct current(DC)exposed electrode to conventional dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma actuators.There are three TED modes depending on the polarity and amplitude of the DC supply:DBD discharge,extended discharge and sliding discharge.This paper evaluates the electrical,aerodynamic and mechanical characteristics of a TED plasma actuator based on energy analysis,particle image velocimetry experiments and calculations using the Navier-Stokes equation.The flow control performances of different discharge modes are quantitatively analyzed based on characteristic parameters.The results show that flow control performance in both extended discharge and sliding discharge is more significant than that of DBD,mainly because of the significantly higher(up to 141%)body force of TED compared with DBD.However,conductivity loss is the primary power loss caused by the DC polarity for TED discharge.Therefore,power consumption can be reduced by optimizing the dielectric material and thickness,thus improving the flow control performance of plasma actuators.

Experimental investigation of nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation

In this paper we report on an experimental study of the characteristics of nanosecond pulsed discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation. The N2 （C3IIu） rotational and vibrational temperatures are around 430 K and 0.24 eV, respectively. The emission intensity ratio between tile first negative system and the second positive system of N2, as a rough indicator of the temporally and spatially averaged electron energy, has a minor dependence on applied voltage amplitude. The induced flow direction is not parallel, but vertical to the dielectric layer surface, as shown by measurements of body force, velocity, and vorticity. Nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation is effective in airfoil flow separation control at freestream speeds up to 100 m/s.

Electrical and aerodynamic characteristics of sliding discharge based on a microsecond pulsed plasma supply

Plasma flow control technology has broad prospects for application.Compared with conventional dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators(DBD-PA),the sliding discharge plasma actuator(SD-PA)has the advantages of a large discharge area and a deflectable induced jet.To achieve the basic performance requirements of light weight,low cost,and high reliability required for UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)plasma flight experiments,this work designed a microsecond pulse plasma supply that can be used for sliding discharge plasma actuators.In this study,the topology of the primary circuit of the microsecond pulse supply is determined,the waveform of the output terminal of the microsecond pulse plasma supply is detected using the Simulink simulation platform,and the design of the actuation voltage,the pulse frequency modulation function and the construction of the hardware circuit are achieved.Using electrical diagnosis and flow field analysis,the actuation characteristics and flow characteristics of sliding discharge plasma under microsecond pulse actuation are studied,the optimal electrical actuation parameters and flow field characteristics are described.

Aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency discharge plasma and control of supersonic flow

In this paper, aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency(RF) discharge plasma are studied and a method is proposed for shock wave control based on RF discharge. Under the static condition, a RF diffuse glow discharge can be observed; under the supersonic inflow, the plasma is blown downstream but remains continuous and stable.Time-resolved schlieren is used for flow field visualization. It is found that RF discharge not only leads to continuous energy deposition on the electrode surface but also induces a compression wave. Under the supersonic inflow condition, a weak oblique shock wave is induced by discharge. Experimental results of the shock wave control indicate that the applied actuation can disperse the bottom structure of the ramp-induced oblique shock wave, which is also observed in the extracted shock wave structure after image processing. More importantly, this control effect can be maintained steadily due to the continuous high-frequency(MHz) discharge. Finally, correlations for schlieren images and numerical simulations are employed to further explore the flow control mechanism. It is observed that the vortex in the boundary layer increases after the application of actuation, meaning that the boundary layer in the downstream of the actuation position is thickened. This is equivalent to covering a layer of low-density smooth wall around the compression corner and on the ramp surface, thereby weakening the compressibility at the compression corner. Our results demonstrate the ability of RF plasma aerodynamic actuation to control the supersonic airflow.

Thermal and induced flow characteristics of radio frequency surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuation at atmospheric pressure

Thermal and induced flow velocity characteristics of radio frequency（RF） surface dielectric barrier discharge（SDBD）plasma actuation are experimentally investigated in this paper. The spatial and temporal distributions of the dielectric surface temperature are measured with the infrared thermography at atmospheric pressure. In the spanwise direction, the highest dielectric surface temperature is acquired at the center of the high voltage electrode, while it reduces gradually along the chordwise direction. The maximum temperature of the dielectric surface raises rapidly once discharge begins.After several seconds（typically 100 s）, the temperature reaches equilibrium among the actuator＇s surface, plasma, and surrounding air. The maximum dielectric surface temperature is higher than that powered by an AC power supply in dozens of k Hz. Influences of the duty cycle and the input frequency on the thermal characteristics are analyzed. When the duty cycle increases, the maximum dielectric surface temperature increases linearly. However, the maximum dielectric surface temperature increases nonlinearly when the input frequency varies from 0.47 MHz to 1.61 MHz. The induced flow velocity of the RF SDBD actuator is 0.25 m/s.

Rotor performance enhancement by alternating current dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuation

An experimental system was established to explore the plasma flow control effect for helicopter rotors in hover mode.With the plasma actuator applied at the leading edge of the rotor blades,alternating current dielectric barrier discharge(AC-DBD) plasma actuation was generated by a sinusoidal AC high-voltage generator.By direct force measurement,the influence of actuation parameters on the aerodynamic performance of the rotor was investigated at a tip Reynolds number of 1.7 × 105.AC-DBD actuation can delay the blade stall to more than 3° with a 20%increase of about in the thrust coefficient at the post-stall pitch.At a constant motor power driving the rotor,AC-DBD actuation could reduce the rotor’s torque at the stalled pitch and increase the rotational speed of the rotor.Also,AC-DBD actuation could maintain a relatively high hover efficiency of the rotor at large collective pitches.In a wide range of actuation parameters,AC-DBD plasma actuation could improve the rotor’s aerodynamic performance at large blade pitches.High-speed photography of the tuft motion on the blade’s upper surface showed that AC-DBD plasma actuation could promote the reattachment of the blade’s separation flow.

Experimental investigation of dynamic stall flow control using a microsecond-pulsed plasma actuator

To alleviate the performance deterioration caused by dynamic stall of a wind turbine airfoil,the flow control by a microsecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge(MP-DBD) actuator on the dynamic stall of a periodically pitching NACA0012 airfoil was investigated experimentally.Unsteady pressure measurements with high temporal accuracy were employed in this study,and the unsteady characteristics of the boundary layer were investigated by wavelet packet analysis and the moving root mean square method based on the acquired pressure.The experimental Mach number was 0.2,and the chord-based Reynolds number was 870 000.The dimensionless actuation frequencies F+ were chosen to be 0.5,1,2,and 3,respectively.For the light dynamic regime,the MP-DBD plasma actuator plays the role of suppressing flow separation from the trial edge and accelerating the flow reattachment due to the high-momentum freestream flow being entrained into the boundary layer.Meanwhile,actuation effects were promoted with the increasing dimensionless actuation frequency F+.The control effects of the deep dynamic stall were to delay the onset and reduce the strength of the dynamic stall vortex due to the accumulating vorticity near the leading edge being removed by the induced coherent vortex structures.The laminar fluctuation and Kelvin-Helmholtz(K-H) instabilities of transition and relaminarization were also mitigated by the MP-DBD actuation,and the alleviated K-H rolls led to the delay of the transition onset and earlier laminar reattachment,which improved the hysteresis effect of the dynamic stall.For the controlled cases of F+=2,and F+=3,the laminar fluctuation was replaced by relatively low frequency band disturbances corresponding to the harmonic responses of the MP-DBD actuation frequency.

Experimental study on surface arc plasma actuation-based hypersonic boundary layer transition flow control

Effective control of hypersonic transition is essential.In order to avoid affecting the structural proflle of the aircraft,as well as reducing power consumption and electromagnetic interference,a low-frequency surface arc plasma disturbance experiment to promote hypersonic transition was carried out in theΦ0.25 m double-throat Ludwieg tube wind tunnel at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.Contacting printed circuit board sensors and non-contact focused laser differential interferometry testing technology were used in combination.Experimental results showed that the low-frequency surface arc plasma actuation had obvious stimulation effects on the second-mode unstable wave and could promote boundary layer transition by changing the spectral characteristics of the second-mode unstable wave.At the same time,the plasma actuation could promote energy exchange between the second-mode unstable wave and other unstable waves.Finally,the corresponding control mechanism is discussed.

Electric and plasma characteristics of RF discharge plasma actuation under varying pressures

The electric and plasma characteristics of RF discharge plasma actuation under varying pressure have been inves- tigated experimentally. As the pressure increases, the shapes of charge-voltage Lissajous curves vary, and the discharge energy increases. The emission spectra show significant difference as the pressure varies. When the pressure is 1000 Pa, the electron temperature is estimated to be 4.139 eV, the electron density and the vibrational temperature of plasma are /peak /lPeak which describes the electron temper- 4.71 x 10^11 cm-3 and 1.27 eV, respectively. The ratio of spectral lines ＂391.4/＇380.5 ature hardly changes when the pressure varies between 5000-30000 Pa, while it increases remarkably with the pressure below 5000 Pa, indicating a transition from filamentary discharge to glow discharge. The characteristics of emission spec- trum are obviously influenced by the loading power. With more loading power, both of the illumination and emission spectrum intensity increase at 10000 Pa. The pin-pin electrode RF discharge is arc-like at power higher than 33 W, which results in a macroscopic air temperature increase.

Flow separation control over an airfoil using continuous alternating current plasma actuator

The flow separation control over an NACA 0015 airfoil using continuous alternating current(AC)dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma actuator is investigated experimentally and numerically.This work is intended to report some observations made from our experiment,to which little attention is paid in the previous studies,but which is thought to be important to the understanding of control of complex flow separation with AC DBD.To this end,the response of separated flow to AC plasma actuation is visualized through the time-resolved particle image velocimetry(PIV)measurement,whereas numerical simulation is carried out to complement the experiment.The flow control process at chord-based Reynolds number(Re)of 3.31×105 is investigated.It is found that the response of external flow to plasma forcing is delayed for up to tens of milliseconds and the delay time increases with angle of attack increasing.Also observed is that at the intermediate angle of attack near stall,the forced flow features a well re-organized flow pattern.However,for airfoil at high post-stall angle of attack,the already well suppressed flow field can recover to the massively separated flow state and then reattach to airfoil surface with the flow pattern fluctuating between the two states in an irregular manner.This is contrary to one’s first thought that the forced flow at any angles of attack will become well organized and regular,and reflects the complexity of flow separation control.

Plasma Virtual Actuators for Flow Control

Dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) plasma actuators are all-electric devices with no moving parts. They are made of a simple construction, consisting only of a pair of electrodes sandwiching a dielectric sheet. When AC voltage is applied, air surrounding the upper electrode is ionized, which is attracted towards the charged dielectric surface to form a wall jet. Control of flow over land and air vehicles as well as rotational machinery can be carried out using this jet flow on demand. Here we review recent developments in plasma virtual actuators for flow control that can replace conventional actuators for better aerodynamic performance.

Plasma Sheet Actuator Driven by Repetitive Nanosecond Pulses with a Negative DC Component

A type of electrical discharge called sliding discharge was developed to generate plasma aerodynamic actuation for flow control. A three-electrode plasma sheet actuator driven by repetitive nanosecond pulses with a negative DC component was used to generate sliding discharge, which can be called nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge. The phenomenology and behaviour of the plasma sheet actuator were investigated experimentally. Discharge morphology shows that the formation of nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge is dependent on the peak value of the repetitive nanosecond pulses and negative DC component applied on the plasma sheet actuator. Compared to dielectric barrier discharge （DBD）, the extension of plasma in nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge is quasi-diffusive, stable, longer and more intensive. Test results of particle image velocimetry demonstrate that the negative DC component applied to a third electrode could significantly modify the topology of the flow induced by nanosecond-pulse DBD. Body force induced by the nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge can be approximately in the order of mN. Both the maximum velocity and the body force induced by sliding discharge increase significantly as compared to single DBD. Therefore, nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge is a preferable plasma aerodynamic actuation generation mode, which is very promising in the field of aerodynamics.

Dynamic evolution of vortex structures induced bytri-electrode plasma actuator

Plasma flow control is a new type of active flow control approach based on plasma pneumatic actuation.Dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)actuators have become a focus of international aerodynamic research.However,the practical applications of typical DBDs are largely restricted due to their limited discharge area and low relative-induced velocity.The further improvement of performance will be beneficial for engineering applications.In this paper,high-speed schlieren and high-speed particle image velocimetry(PIV)are employed to study the flow field induced by three kinds of plasma actuations in a static atmosphere,and the differences in induced flow field structure among typical DBD,extended DBD(EX-DBD),and tri-electrode sliding discharge(TED)are compared.The analyzing of the dynamic evolution of the maximum horizontal velocity over time,the velocity profile at a fixed horizontal position,and the momentum and body force in a control volume reveals that the induced velocity peak value and profile velocity height of EX-DBD are higher than those of the other two types of actuation,suggesting that EX-DBD actuation has the strongest temporal aerodynamic effect among the three types of actuations.The TED actuation not only can enlarge the plasma extension but also has the longest duration in the entire pulsed period and the greatest influence on the height and width of the airflow near the wall surface.Thus,the TED actuation has the ability to continuously influencing a larger three-dimensional space above the surface of the plasma actuator.

Leading-edge flow separation control over an airfoil using a symmetrical dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator

In order to promote an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of leading-edge flow separation control over an airfoil using a symmetrical Dielectric Barrier Discharge(DBD) plasma actuator excited by a steady-mode excitation, an experimental investigation of an SC(2)-0714 supercritical airfoil with a symmetrical DBD plasma actuator was performed in a closed chamber and a low-speed wind tunnel. The plasma actuator was mounted at the leading edge of the airfoil.Time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV) results of the near-wall region in quiescent air suggested that the symmetrical DBD plasma actuator could induce some coherent structures in the separated shear layer, and these structures were linked to a dominant frequency of f0= 39 Hz when the peak-to-peak voltage of the plasma actuator was 9.8 kV. In addition, an analysis of flow structures without and with plasma actuation around the upper side of the airfoil at an angle of attack of18° for a wind speed of 3 m/s(Reynolds number Re = 20000) indicated that the dynamic process of leading-edge flow separation control over an airfoil could be divided into three stages. Initially, this plasma actuator could reinforce the shedding vortices in the separated shear layer. Then, these vortical structures could deflect the separated flow towards the wall by promoting the mixing between the outside flow with a high kinetic energy and the flow near the surface. After that, the plasma actuator induced a series of rolling vortices in the vicinity of the suction side of the airfoil, and these vortical structures could transfer momentum from the leading edge of the airfoil to the separated region, resulting in a reattachment of the separated flow around the airfoil.

Unmanned air vehicle flow separation control using dielectric barrier discharge plasma at high wind speed

The present paper described an experimental investigation of separation control of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)at high wind speeds.The plasma actuator was based on Dielectric Barrier Discharge(DBD)and operated in a steady manner.The flow over a wing of UAV was performed with smoke flow visualization in theΦ0.75 m low speed wind tunnel to reveal the flow structure over the wing so that the locations of plasma actuators could be optimized.A full model of the UAV was experimentally investigated in theΦ3.2 m low speed wind tunnel using a six-component internal strain gauge balance.The effects of the key parameters,including the locations of the plasma actuators,the applied voltage amplitude and the operating frequency,were obtained.The whole test model was made of aluminium and acted as a cathode of the actuator.The results showed that the plasma acting on the surface of UAV could obviously suppress the boundary layer separation and reduce the model vibration at the high wind speeds.It was found that the maximum lift coefficient of the UAV was increased by 2.5%and the lift/drag ratio was increased by about 80%at the wind speed of 100 m/s.The control mechanism of the plasma actuator at the test configuration was also analyzed.

Recent developments in thermal characteristics of surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators driven by sinusoidal high-voltage power

Flow control using surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge(DBD)plasma actuators driven by a sinusoidal alternating-current power supply has gained significant attention from the aeronautic industry.The induced flow field of the plasma actuator,with the starting vortex in the wall jet,plays an important role in flow control.However,the energy consumed for producing the induced flow field is only a small fraction of the total energy utilized by the plasma actuator,and most of the total energy is used in gas heating and dielectric heating.Therefore,an in-depth analysis of the thermal characteristics of the plasma actuator is the key to develop its potential capability further.In addition,compared with the investigation on the aerodynamic characteristics of the plasma actuator,there is a relative lack of detail in the study of its thermal characteristics.Understanding the thermal characteristics of the plasma actuator is of great interest for providing a deeper insight into the underlying working principles,advancing its numerical simulation model,prolonging its life,and achieving several potential engineering applications,such as antiicing and deicing.The present paper reviews the thermal characteristics of the plasma actuator,summarizes the influence of the dielectric film and actuation parameters on heating,and discusses the formation and transfer mechanism of the induced heating based on the discharge regimes of the plasma actuator in one cycle.

Metamodeling-based parametric optimization of DBD plasma actuation to suppress flow separation over a wind turbine airfoil model

While dielectric-barrier-discharge(DBD)based plasma actuation systems have been successfully demonstrated to suppress massive flow separation over wind turbine blades to reduce the transient aerodynamic loadings acting on the turbine blades,it is still a non-trivial task to establish a best combination of various operating parameters for a DBD plasma actuation system to achieve the optimized flow control effectiveness.In the present study,a regression Kriging based metamodeling technique is developed to optimize the operating parameters of a DBD plasma actuation system for suppressing deep stall over the surface of a wind turbine blade section/airfoil model.The data points were experimentally obtained by embedding a nanosecond-pulsed DBD(NS-DBD)plasma actuator at the leading edge of the airfoil model.The applied voltage and frequency for the NS-DBD plasma actuation were used as the design variables to demonstrate the optimization procedure.The highest possible lift coefficient of the turbine airfoil model at deep stalled angles of attack(i.e.,α?=?22°and 24°)were selected as the objective function for the optimization.It was found that,while the metamodeling-based procedure could accurately predict the objective function within the bounds of the design variables with an uncertainty~?2%,a global accuracy level of~?97%was achieved within the whole design space.

不同前缘形状非细长三角翼等离子体流动控制的参数影响实验

为改善非细长三角翼的大迎角失速特性,探索前缘形状对流动控制效果的影响规律,基于交流介质阻挡放电(AC-DBD)等离子体激励,开展了非细长三角翼流动控制风洞实验研究。针对3个不同前缘曲率半径的三角翼模型,研究了激励参数对流动控制效果的影响规律。结果表明:小迎角状态下,尖前缘三角翼的升力系数略高于其他两种钝前缘三角翼;圆前缘三角翼的最大升力系数最高;指向上翼面的前缘激励在失速迎角之前对升力系数的控制效果最好,指向下翼面的前缘激励则在失速迎角之后效果更佳;圆前缘三角翼的控制效果最好,相同激励电压下(12 kV),激励控制对尖、圆和椭圆前缘三角翼在过失速阶段升力分别可提高3.6%、5.9%和4.2%。最优的无量纲脉冲激励频率为f^(+)=1to2,最优占空比为5%,电压幅值越高,控制效果越好。分析认为AC-DBD激励控制非细长三角翼的主要机理是其对剪切层的非定常扰动,非体积力加速效应;机翼前缘处的流体动能分布影响诱导流向涡的形成,使不同前缘形状非细长三角翼的流动控制效果不同。

等离子体湍流摩擦减阻研究进展与展望

飞机摩擦阻力可占巡航总阻力的一半以上,减小飞机湍流条件下的摩擦阻力对于提升飞机巡航性能、降低燃油消耗具有重要意义。等离子体激励是等离子体在电磁场力作用下运动或气体放电产生的压力、温度、物性变化等对气流施加的一种可控扰动。采用等离子体激励减小飞机湍流摩擦阻力具有结构重量代价小、易于智能控制等诸多优势,受到国内外广泛关注。鉴于此,按照等离子体激励特性及其与湍流边界层的相互关系,将等离子体湍流减阻方法分为非定常激励、定常激励等类型,并梳理了其研究历程与进展。在平板湍流边界层中,等离子体激励能够诱导大尺度流向涡,产生输运作用,使摩擦阻力减小40%以上;在巡航迎角工况下的翼型上,激励同样能在20 m/s的来流速度下使翼型总阻力减小13.7%。发展新型高效能、高强度等离子体激励方法,实现高雷诺数、强逆压梯度气流环境下的湍流减阻,融入机器学习,推动开环控制向智能自适应发展,是等离子体湍流减阻技术未来的发展方向。