Stabilizing a blasius boundary layer with dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuation: experimental characterization

This paper presents an experimental characterization of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma actuation on a two-dimensional (2D) boundary layer around a §at plate using both Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and hot wire probings. The experiments are conducted in a subsonic wind tunnel at a free-stream velocity U ∞ = 35 m/s for a single DBD actuator and several electrical parameters. Hot wire probings are used to quantify the transition delay and mean velocity pro¦les far enough from the plasma region, while mean velocity pro¦le inside the plasma extent are measured using LDA after the method has been validated from a comparison with hot wire measurements. Measurements inside the plasma extent allow to quantify the ionic wind contribution to the actuated mean velocity pro¦les in a case where the transition is delayed by the actuator. A maximal ionic wind of 7 m/s is found to be added 2 mm downstream the actuator for a consumed electrical power of 80 W/m.