An experimental investigation of separation control using steady and pulsed plasma actuators was carried out on an Eppler E338 airfoil at typical micro air vehicle Reynolds numbers (20,000≤Re≤140,000). Pulsing was achieved by modulating the high frequency plasma excitation voltage. The actuators were calibrated directly using a laser doppler anemometer, with and without free-stream velocity, and this allowed the quantification of both steady and unsteady momentum introduced into the flow. At conventional low Reynolds numbers (Re>100,000) asymmetric single phase plasma actuators can have a detrimental effect on airfoil performance due to the introduction of low momentum fluid into the boundary layer. The effect of modulation, particularly at frequencies corresponding to F +=1, became more effective with decreasing Reynolds number resulting in significant improvements in C L,max. This was attributed to the increasing momentum coefficient, which increased as a consequence of the decreasing free-stream velocities. Particularly low duty cycles of 3% were sufficient for effective separation control, corresponding to power inputs on the order of 5 milliwatts per centimeter.
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