A Simplified Model for Simulating Flow Stabilization Behind a Cylinder Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Abstract

This article presents a numerical model and simulation results for the flow stabilization problem behind a solid cylinder. Four dielectric barrier discharge actuators are attached to the cylinder surface, each consisting of two tape electrodes. The surface-exposed electrodes are supplied with a high sinusoidal voltage, whereas the embedded ones are electrically grounded. A surface low-temperature plasma is generated near the edge of the exposed electrode, where the electric field intensity is very high. Ions generated by the discharge drift along the cylinder surface and collide with neutral air molecules, generating airflow. This electrohydrodynamic flow suppresses, or completely eliminates, the flow separation in the downwind part of the cylindrical surface. It can also quench, or mitigate, the von Karman vortices behind the cylinder. The simulation results reasonably agree with the experimental data published in the literature, validating the proposed numerical algorithm.