Wing Flow Separation Control Using Asymmetrical and Symmetrical Plasma Actuator

The effectiveness of asymmetrical and symmetrical plasma actuators for enhancing the aerodynamic performances of a wing has been investigated through the flow separation control experiment in a low-speed wind tunnel. The asymmetrical plasma actuator is a typical single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator and induces a one-way airflow. Compared with the asymmetrical dielectric barrier discharge actuator, the symmetrical actuator produced a bidirectional tangential jet. The two actuators were mounted on the leading edge of a wing and oriented along the spanwise direction to produce a body force in the streamwise direction. Force measurements show that the symmetrical actuator can effectively delay the flow separation on the wing at the wind speed up to and has a better control performance than that of the asymmetrical actuator. Particle image velocimetry experiments are carried out to identify the different control mechanisms between the two actuators and highlights how the induced airflows by the two plasma actuators interact with the boundary layer. The induced vortex by the symmetrical plasma actuator is found to be the key element for the better control performance.