Numerical Investigation of Instabilities in Free Shear Layer Produced by NS-DBD Actuator

A numerical investigation of the effects of nanosecond barrier discharge on the stability of a two-dimensional free shear layer is performed. The computations are carried out using a compressible Navier-Stokes algorithm coupled with a thermodynamic model of the discharge. The results show that significant increases in the shear layer-s momentum thickness and Reynolds stresses occur due to actuation. Dependence on both frequency and amplitude of actuation are considered, and a comparison is made of the computed growth rates with those predicted by linear stability theory. Amplitude and frequency ranges for the efficient promotion of shear-layer instabilities are identified.

Authors:

• Ilya Popov
• Steven Hulshoff

Keywords:

• NS-DBD
• plasma
• actuator
• flow control
• instability
• shear layer

References:

[1] D. V. Roupassov, A. A. Nikipelov, M. M. Nudnova, and S. A. Yu., "Flow
separation control by plasma actuator with nanosecond pulsed-periodic
discharge," AIAA Journal, vol. 47, no. 1, 2009.
[2] I. V. Adamovich, I. Choi, N. Jiang, J.-H. Kim, S. Keshav, W. R. Lempert,
E. Mintusov, M. Nishihara, M. Samimy, and M. Uddi, "Plasma assisted
ignition and high-speed flow control: non-thermal and thermal effects,"
Plasma Sources Sci. Technol., no. 18, 2009.
[3] M. M. Nudnova, S. V. Kindysheva, N. L. Aleksandrov, and A. Y.
Starikovskiy, "Rate of plasma thermalization of pulsed nanosecond
surface dielectric barrier discharge," in 48th AIAA aerospace Sciences
Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition,
no. 0465, 2010.
[4] J. Little, High-Lift Airfoil Separation Control with Dielectric Barrier
Discharge Plasma Actuators. PhD thesis, The Ohio State University,
2010.
[5] T. Unfer and J. P. Boeuf, "Modelling of a nanosecond surface discharge
actuator," J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 42, 2009.
[6] J. Little and M. Samimy, "High-lift airfoil separation with dielectric
barrier discharge plasma actuation," AIAA journal, vol. 48, no. 12, 2010.
[7] G. Correale, I. Popov, A. Rakitin, A. Starikovskii, S. Hulshoff, and
L. Veldhuis, "Flow separation control on airfoil with pulsed nanosecond
discharge actuator," in 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including
the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition, Orlando, Florida,
2011.
[8] C.-M. Ho and P. Huerre, "Perturbed free shear layers," Ann. Rev. Fluid
Mech, vol. 16, pp. 365-424, 1984.
[9] T. J. Bridges and P. J. Morris, "Defferential eigenvalue problems in which
the parameter appears nonlinearly," Journal of Computational Physics,
vol. 55, pp. 437-460, 1984.
[10] H. Salwen and C. E. Grosch, "The continuous spectrum of the Orr-
Sommerfeld equation. Part 2: Eigenfunction expansions," J. Fluid Mech.,
vol. 104, pp. 445-465, 1981.
[11] J. Little, K. Takashima, M. Nishihara, I. Adamovich, and M. Samimy,
"High lift airfoil leading edge separation control with nanosecond pulse
driven dbd plasma actuators," in 5th Flow Control Conference 28 June -
1 July 2010, Chicago, Illinois, 2010-4256.
[12] D. V. Roupassov, A. A. Nikipelov, M. M. Nudnova, and A. Y. Starikovskii,
"Flow separation control by plasma actuator with nanosecond pulse
periodic discharge," in 46th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and
Exhibit, 2008-1367.
[13] J. Little, K. Takashima, M. Nishihara, I. Adamovich, and M. Samimy,
"High lift airfoil leading edge separation control with nanosecond pulse
driven dbd plasma actuators," in 5th Flow Control Conference, 2010.
[14] A. Y. Starikovskii, A. A. Nikipelov, M. M. Nudnova, and D. V. Roupassov,
"SDBD plasma actuator with nanosecond pulse-periodic discharge,"
Plasma Sources Science and Technology, vol. 18, no. 3, p. 034015,
2009.