Investigation of the effect of electrode arrangement on plasma actuator performance

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated the influence of actuator geometry and electric field structure on the performance of a single Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma actuator. Variation of the chordwise, (x-direction), gap between the two electrodes of an actuator had demonstrated that the subsequent electric field augmentation affected the magnitude of the maximum chordwise velocity able to be induced for a given set of electrical inputs. In the present study the authors have investigated the effect of electrode arrangement further, by augmenting the electric field of a DBD actuator in the vertical (y) direction, through placement of the exposed electrode normal to the encapsulated one. The results reveal the differences to the volume of plasma developed by the augmented field through momentum analysis of the flow structure induced in quiescent air. The results serve to provide details as to how the electric field should be augmented in order to provide optimal paraelectric force vector properties for specific applications.