Comparison of the Linear and Spanwise-Segmented DBD Plasma Actuators on Flow Control Around a NACA0015 Airfoil

In this paper, linear and spanwise-segmented plasma actuator implementations as well as base airfoil with no plasma cases are presented. These approaches are used to control the flow around a NACA0015 airfoil. The experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel at Reynolds number of 3.6×10
⁴
. The plasma actuators mounted on the leading edge of the airfoil at chord position of 0.1 (x/C). The electrical parameters used for the plasma generating device are set to constant values of 6-kV
_pp
applied voltage and 3.5-kHz excitation frequency. It is observed that the use of spanwise-segmented plasma actuators converts the 2-D flow structure around the airfoil into 3-D forcing flow structure. The change of the wake region width of the airfoil is visualized by using the smoke-wire method. The flow visualization is performed at attack angles of 0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°. In addition, necessary measurements are also made to determine drag and lift forces. A comparative study on the drag and lift forces for the NACA0015 airfoil is performed. As a part of the conclusions, linear and spanwise-segmented plasma actuator implementations as well as base airfoil with no plasma cases are compared and related results on flow control are presented.