Dielectric barrier discharge-based plasma actuator operation in artificial atmospheres for validation of modeling and simulation
- Department of Physics, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado 80840 (United States)
We present an experimental case study of time-resolved force production by an aerodynamic plasma actuator immersed in various mixtures of electropositive (N{sub 2}) and electronegative gases (O{sub 2} and SF{sub 6}) at atmospheric pressure using a fixed AC high-voltage input of 16 kV peak amplitude at 200 Hz frequency. We have observed distinct changes in the discharge structures during both negative- and positive-going voltage half-cycles, with corresponding variations in the actuator's force production: a ratio of 4:1 in the impulse produced by the negative-going half-cycle of the discharge among the various gas mixtures we explored, 2:1 in the impulse produced by the positive-going half-cycle, and cases in which the negative-going half-cycle dominates force production (by a ratio of 1.5:1), where the half-cycles produce identical force levels, and where the positive-going half cycle dominates (by a ratio of 1:5). We also present time-resolved experimental evidence for the first time that shows electrons do play a significant role in the momentum coupling to surrounding neutrals during the negative going voltage half-cycle of the N{sub 2} discharge. We show that there is sufficient macroscopic variation in the plasma that the predictions of numerical models at the microscopic level can be validated even though the plasma itself cannot be measured directly on those spatial and temporal scales.
- OSTI ID:
- 22489894
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2015 U.S. Government; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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