Effects of electrical parameters on the performance of a plasma swirler

Abstract Effects of electrical parameters on the flow characteristics of a plasma swirler are investigated. Through the accumulation of plasma induced acceleration, the azimuthal velocity is amplified when the fluid particles flow out of the plasma swirler. Numerical simulation is carried out to investigate the distribution of the azimuthal velocity and calculate the swirl number. The swirl number increases almost linearly with the increase of the electrode length until it reaches its maximum at the end of the electrodes. Fluid velocity distribution is quantitatively measured and analyzed using particle image velocimetry and laser Doppler anemometry. The higher the applied voltage is, the larger the flow divergence tends to be. With the increase of the applied voltage, the flow in the central region is modified, leading to the potential of flow control by adjusting the applied voltage.