Highly time-resolved investigation of the electric wind caused by surface DBD at various ac frequencies

Surface plasma discharges find relevant applications for manipulating laminar or turbulent flows. The control mechanism can be related to time-averaged momentum transfer or be associated to favorable interactions between the fluctuations imposed by the discharge and the natural instabilities developing in the incoming flow. In the present paper, the electric wind produced by a non-thermal surface dielectric barrier discharge is investigated by a non-intrusive measurement technique having a high temporal resolution. The measurements are carried out for an actuator in quiescent flow condition, but also for an actuator placed in the test section of a wind tunnel with external flow speed from 5 to 30 m/s. The results confirm that a surface DBD actuator has a low control authority on the mean characteristics of the velocity profiles developing above the plasma region. However, it is also demonstrated that the plasma actuator imposes periodic fluctuations at the electrical frequency driving the gas ionization, this over the whole range of tested speeds.