Investigation into the response force of a dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator with varying electrode angle using particle image velocimetry

Abstract

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators induce an ionic wind that imparts momentum to the surrounding air, resulting in a net response force being produced. The upstream ionic wind is drawn inwards from above the actuator before being directed downstream parallel to the dielectric plate. Varying the angle between the electrodes in a DBD plasma actuator changes the magnitude and direction of the resultant response force. Increasing the angle results in a higher achieved response force. It is hypothesised that changing the angle between the electrodes alters the direction of the upstream and downstream components of the ionic wind. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been used to determine the flow directions of the ionic wind for various electrode angles in a DBD actuator. The results indicate that changing the angle between the electrodes, re-aligns the ionic wind components resulting in changes to the response force as predicted.