Transition Control with Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas
Abstract
The long-term objective of the project is to control natural boundary-layer transition through the use of plasma actuators. Transition delay or even suppression has its merits not only in lower wall shear stress and frictional drag of laminar as opposed to turbulent boundary layers, but transition control can be instrumental in influencing flow separation, which opens avenues for significantly influencing pressure drag and wake acoustics of bluff bodies or profiles. The focus of the project is on understanding fundamentals of the transition control and on optimization of actuator design and operating parameters. The project is of experimental nature and is composed of three periods. During the first period, improved plasma actuators are developed for boundary-layer control. A small wind tunnel, optimized for high resolution laser optical measurements in boundary layers, was constructed and will yield precise knowledge of the flow field and volume force distribution of different actuator geometries for developing advanced actuators for transition control. These actuators will be used in a larger tunnel under pressure-gradients encountered in flight situations during the second period to enhance the design and to achieve a reliable delay of transition. The development of a feedback control circuit for active wave cancelation using pulsed plasma actuators will also be conducted in the second period. Finally, all developed technologies will be applied in the third period for in-flight experiments, demonstrating the delay of transition on the wing of a full size motorized glider.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA541447
Entities
People
- A. Duchmann
- Cameron Tropea
- S. Grundmann