Turbulent skin-friction drag reduction by annular dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator

Abstract

Reducing turbulent skin friction drag is a fundamental goal for aircraft transportation to conserve energy and decrease emissions. We introduce an annular dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator (A-DBD-PA) that merges the advantages of near-wall micro-blowing with pulsed plasma flow control to reduce turbulence drag. Wind tunnel experiments on a flat plate assessing the performance of A-DBD-PA revealed that the wall-normal jet on the symmetry plane is critical for turbulent drag reduction in an unsteady flow field. As the duty cycle of plasma actuation increases, it steadies the wall-normal jet, which diminishes shear stress and velocity fluctuations in the boundary layer. This enhanced steadiness fosters induced vortices' formation and evolution, directly impacting the drag reduction rate. Duty cycles below 50% yield a limited drag reduction rate because the airflow's viscous effects predominate over the influence of plasma actuation. Conversely, duty cycles above 50% enhance the interaction of induced vortices, contributing to a stronger disturbance and more effective control, optimizing drag reduction rate up to a maximum of 5.197%.