Investigation of the DBD Plasma Effect on Flat Plate Flow

Abstract

Particle image velocimetry experiments and simulations were conducted in this study to clarify the influence of the DBD plasma actuator on the flow over a flat plate. The result shows that the actuator not only effectively leads to a local rise in near-wall velocity, but also efficiently causes a decrease in the displacement thickness of the boundary layer. Actuator-induced vorticity is generated to intensify the energy exchange between the main flow and the boundary layer, and dynamic energy is thus added directly to the low-energy fluid by the actuator. Although the increase in fluid velocity also brings a rise in dynamic energy loss, the energy added by the actuator can cover this to provide growth in the energy of the boundary layer. The plasma actuator presents a better performance when the free-stream velocity is lower.