Enhancement of the Electromechanical Performances of a Single Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuator

In this paper, a parametric study of a single dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) plasma actuator has been performed in order to enhance its electromechanical performances. Three input parameters have been investigated: the dielectric thickness, the waveform of the applied high voltage and the voltage slew rate. The goal is to increase the velocity of the discharge-induced electric wind and/or to reduce the electrical power consumption of the discharge. First, electrical measurements with high voltages ranging from 5 to 30 kV have been conducted, with a frequency set here to 1 kHz. This consisted of current recordings and electrical power consumption computations. Secondly, the velocity of the produced electric wind has been measured with a Pitot tube probe. From these velocity profiles, the maximum velocity, the produced mass flow rate and the electromechanical efficiency of the discharge have been determined. It highlights that the way to enhance the electromechanical performances of such a surface discharge consists in using a thick dielectric (at least a few millimeters) and a sine high voltage (several tens of kV) at a moderate frequency value.