Dielectric barrier discharge actuators: Momentum injection into co-flow and counter-flow freestream

In a quiescent environment, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators generate a wall jet through the interaction of ionized and neutral molecules in an electric field. In external flow, the coupling between electrohydrodynamic (EHD), turbulence, inertial, and viscous effects in the flow boundary layer is more complex and requires additional investigation. We experimentally study momentum injection by DBD actuators into the free stream flow with Re = 35,000 and 75,000 in co-flow and counter-flow scenarios over a range of VAC = 12 kV–19.5 kV peak-to-peak at a frequency of 2 kHz. In co-flow, the momentum injection leads to boundary layer thinning and fluid entrainment from the freestream into the DBD forcing region, while in the counter-flow configuration, flow separation can occur. A separation bubble is observed at Re = 35,000 for the tested condition. The momentum difference in the counter-flow configuration is six times greater than the EHD jet momentum in a quiescent environment. Both co-flow and counter-flow momentum injections show diminishing effects with higher Re. We show that the resulting flow pattern is not a superposition of the EHD jet and the free stream but is determined by the coupling and competition of inertial, viscous, and Coulombic effects between the EHD-driven forcing and the external flow. The proposed non-dimensional momentum ratio (M*) of EHD jet momentum to momentum in the external flow boundary layer can be used to predict the onset of separation; however, additional experimental and numerical studies are required to generalize this concept to other flow scenarios. The velocity profiles and momentum measurements presented here can be used to validate numerical models and inform the design of DBD actuators for active flow control.