Date of Award

2010

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Master's Paper

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Department

Mechanical Engineering

College

Engineering

Faculty Advisor

Mahmud, Zakaria

Description

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator is considered an effective flow control device in various aerospace applications such as drag control, lift control, and stall control. The DBD plasma actuator has many potential benefits in active flow control applications, such as an absence of moving parts and low power draw. Numerous studies have been done to estimate the effect of plasma flow on specific aerospace applications. These studies have revealed that the performance of the plasma actuator depends on a number of parameters, such as operating voltage and currents, materials, and the surrounding air velocity, to name a few. Unique combinations of these parameters are required for optimal performance of the actuator; therefore, robust parametric studies have been undertaken to fully predict the plasma-based flow fields. The present study focuses on evaluating the influence of electrical, geometrical and material parameters on the single DBD plasma actuator flow. The electrical parameters include voltage and frequency, whereas electrode gap orientations and dielectric materials are considered geometrical and materials parameters, respectively. The parametric study was done by estimating the plasma-induced velocity in quiescent media with the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system for various actuator settings and operating conditions. The effects of the above parameters and characteristic behavior on the single DBD plasma actuator are discussed and compared. The obtained maximum velocities for different settings and operating conditions are used as a basis for comparison. Results showed that the operating voltage was the maJor parameter influencing the actuator performance, and the electrode gap orientations (±1 mm) had negligible effect. IV

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/33781

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