Separation control from the flap of a high-lift airfoil using DBD plasma actuators

Jesse Little, Munetake Nishihara, Igor Adamovich, Mo Samimy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Control of separation from the deflected flap of a high-lift airfoil is explored using two asymmetric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators straddling the flap shoulder for Reynolds numbers of 240,000 and 410,000. Actuators are found to be most effective when operated in an unsteady fashion at the natural oscillation frequency of the trailing edge flow field. The use of two actuators shows a significant improvement over one actuator by further decreasing the size of the time-averaged separation bubble on the flap while increasing the pressure fluctuations and velocity fluctuations over the flap and in the wake. Results indicate that the primary mechanism for reducing separation in this configuration is an enhancement of the natural vortex shedding that encourages momentum transfer between the freestream and separated region.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition
PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc.
ISBN (Print)9781563479694
DOIs
StatePublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

Name47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Aerospace Engineering

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