Analysis of discharge characteristics of pulsed plasma power source in the microsecond scale

Abstract

The characteristics test of plasma discharge is an essential physical basis for studying plasma flow control. The power consumption of pulsed plasma aerodynamic actuation is 30% lower than when the actuation voltage is a continuous sine wave. This paper uses a self-developed pulsed plasma power source to superimpose DC. The power source conducts the discharge measurement on the sliding discharge plasma. The experimental results show that the power source effectively outputs 0-20 kV pulsed high voltage. The superimposed DC power source generates a negative DC high voltage, accelerating the drift speed of positive ions in the plasma and forming a stable and uniform surface discharge. But the essence of pulse discharge is still filamentary discharge. In a cycle, the plasma discharge is mainly concentrated on the rising edge of the pulse. In contrast, the pulse current is bipolar, and the negative pulse current has a more obvious growth trend, which is more effective for improving the flow control ability.