Plasma actuators for separation control on stationary and oscillating airfoils

Given the importance of separation control associated with retreating blade stall on helicopters, the primary objective of this work was to develop a plasma actuator flow control device for its use in controlling leading-edge separation on stationary and oscillating airfoils. The plasma actuator consists of two copper electrodes separated by a dielectric insulator. When the voltage supplied to the electrodes is sufficiently high, the surrounding air ionizes forms plasma in the regions of high electrical field potential. The ionized air, in the presence of an electric field gradient, results in a body force on the flow.; The effect of plasma actuator was experimentally investigated and characterized through a systematic set of experiments. It was then applied to NACA 66 3018 and NACA 0015 airfoils for the purpose of leading-edge separation control. The effectiveness of the actuator was documented through surface pressure measurements on the airfoil, mean wake velocity profiles, and flow visualization records. For the stationary airfoil, the actuator prevented flow separation for angles of attack up to 22°, which was 8° past the static stall angle. This resulted in as much as a 300% improvement in the lift-to-drag ratio.; For the oscillating airfoil, the measurements were phase-conditioned to the oscillation motion. Three cases with the plasma actuator were investigated: steady actuation, unsteady plasma actuation, and so-called "smart" actuation in which the actuator is activated during portions of the oscillatory cycle. All of the cases exhibited a higher cycle-integrated lift and an improvement in the lift cycle hysteresis.; The steady plasma actuation increased the lift over most of the cycle, except at the peak angle of attack where it was found to suppress the dynamic stall vortex. Because of this, the sharp drop in the lift coefficient past the maximum angle of attack was eliminated. The unsteady plasma actuation produced significant improvements in the lift coefficient during the pitch-down portion of the cycle, especially near the minimum angle of attack. A "smart" actuator approach produced the best improvement in the lift cycle with the highest integrated lift, and elimination of the sharp stall past the maximum angle of attack. It is possible that the "smart" actuation could be optimized further. However, these results are extremely promising for improving helicopter rotor performance.