Experimental and computational study of the flow induced by a plasma actuator

• Published in: The International journal of heat and fluid flow Vol. 41; pp. 80 - 89
• Main Authors: Maden, I., Maduta, R., Kriegseis, J., Jakirlić, S., Schwarz, C., Grundmann, S., Tropea, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.06.2013
• Subjects: Actuators; Computational fluid dynamics; Fluid flow; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Navier-Stokes equations; PIV-based volume-force model; Plasma actuator; Second-moment closure RANS model; Three-dimensional diffuser; Turbulence; Turbulent flow; Wall jet; Second-moment closure RANS model; Wall jet; PIV-based volume-force model; Three-dimensional diffuser; Plasma actuator
• ISSN: 0142-727X; 1879-2278
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2013.02.013

•A new plasma-actuator (PA) model is proposed to simulate flow manipulation.•The new model is calibrated according to a complementary PIV experiment.•A comparative analysis of different volume-force estimation strategies is provided.•All PA models were applied in conjunction with a near-wall RSM model.•Afterwards the new model was applied to a separated flow in a 3D diffuser. A complementary experimental and computational study of the flow field evoked by a plasma actuator mounted on a flat plate was in focus of the present work. The main objective of the experimental investigation was the determination of the vector force imparted by the plasma actuator to the fluid flow. The force distribution was presently extracted from the Navier–Stokes equations directly by feeding them with the velocity field measured by a PIV technique. Assuming a steady-in-mean, two-dimensional flow with zero-pressure gradient, the imbalance between the convective term and the momentum equation’s right-hand-side terms reveals the desired resulting force. This force-distribution database was used afterwards as the source term in the momentum equation. Furthermore, an empirical model formulation for the volume-force determination parameterized by the underlying PIV-based model is derived. The model is tested within the RANS framework in order to predict a wall jet-like flow induced by a plasma actuator. The Reynolds equations are closed by a near-wall second-moment closure model based on the homogeneous dissipation rate of the kinetic energy of turbulence. The computationally obtained velocity field is analysed along with the experimental data focussing on the wall jet flow region in proximity of the plasma actuator. For comparison purposes, different existing phenomenological models were applied to evaluate the new model’s accuracy. The comparative analysis of all applied models demonstrates the strength of the new empirical model, particularly within the plasma domain. In addition, the presently formulated empirical model was applied to the flow in a three-dimensional diffuser whose inflow was modulated by a pair of streamwise vortices generated by the present plasma actuator. The direct comparison with existing experimental data of Grundmann et al. (2011) demonstrated that the specific decrease of the diffuser pressure corresponding to the continuous forcing was predicted correctly.