The influence of electrode configuration and dielectric temperature on plasma actuator performance

In this paper further experimental studies have been conducted for a new configuration of the Multiple Encapsulated Electrodes (MEE) actuator. The MEE actuator consists of an encapsulated electrode split into smaller electrodes and distributed through the dielectric. This type of actuator has been shown previously to produce performance superior to the standard actuator design. This makes them more desirable as flow control devices. Using particle image velocimetry to visualize and quantify the flow field, the new configuration has been applied individually and in pairs, and compared to another MEE configuration and the standard design. The results show that further manipulation of the encapsulated electrode can improve performance when compared to other MEE designs. The actuators have also been operated under three different surface temperature conditions. Operating the actuator at lower temperatures provided improved performance by increasing the induced velocity while lowering the power consumption. Copyright © 2011 by Rasool Erfani.