Noise Control of Blunt Flat-Plate Using Slit and Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma

Abstract

This paper investigates the combination of a slit at the blunt trailing edge of the flat plate and dielectric barrier discharge plasma to control the vortex shedding of the plate and its associated tonal noise. The noise and flow characteristics of the plate were measured using a far-field microphone array and the particle image velocimetry technique, respectively. The results show that the vortex shedding and the tonal noise can be significantly suppressed by the slit alone, with an average noise reduction of approximately 10 dB in the test Reynolds number. In addition, installing a plasma actuator inside the slit further suppresses the vortex shedding and reduces tonal noise. However, the additional control efficiency of the plasma decreases with increasing wind speeds, with a further 8 dB reduction at a wind speed of U∞=10  m/s (corresponding to an inducing blowing rate BR of 4.5%). However, only an additional 1.5 dB noise reduction is achieved at U∞=20  m/s (BR=2.25%). The particle image velocimetry snapshots were analyzed by proper orthogonal decomposition. The measurements clearly show the variation in vortex shedding at the trailing edge of the plate, revealing the underlying flow mechanisms that lead to the observed noise variations and frequency changes.