Synthetic Jet Actuator and Plasma Actuator Influence on Flows over a Circular Cylinder

摘要

This paper shows the time-averaged effect of synthetic jet and plasma actuators on flow over a circular cylinder for delaying flow separation and, therefore, reducing pressure drag. The percentage of pressure drag reduction is used to evaluate the effectiveness of these two unique actuators for varied applied voltage, actuator position and flow velocity. Two non-dimensional parameters were used to evaluate the effect of the actuators: coefficient of momentum (C_μ) and non-dimensional surface distance between the location of the actuator and the flow separation point (SDc). Both actuation techniques beneficially affect the pressure distribution by decreasing the pressure near the location of the actuators and increasing the pressure in the separated flow region. Contour plots displaying the variation of the percentage of pressure drag reduction as C_μ and SDc vary illustrate optimal operating conditions based on these parameters.