A study on flow control in a hypersonic inlet using a plasma synthetic jet actuator

The plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA) has been proven to have potential for shock wave control in the supersonic/hypersonic flow. To evaluate the possibility for the PSJA applied in the hypersonic inlet under a Mach number greater than the design value and provide a deeper understanding of its control mechanism, the relevant two-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out. Based on the discussions about the numerical results, the effects are clear of the actuations generated by the PSJAs, including diffracted waves, synthetic jets, and discharged heat, on the oblique shock waves induced by the compression ramps and the aerodynamic performance of the hypersonic inlet. Concretely, the shapes of the oblique waves are changed by propagations of the diffracted waves, whose starting point moved due to the synthetic jets. A deceleration occurs near the surface of the hypersonic inlet caused by the movement of the discharged heat, leading to a thickener boundary layer. Furthermore, the incremental analysis about the total pressure recovery coefficient at the throat shows that the diffracted waves can increase the static pressure at the throat achieving a higher total pressure recovery coefficient, while the discharged heat makes the total pressure recovery coefficient drop due to a lower local Mach number at the throat. The effect of the discharged heat is more obvious than that of the diffracted waves.