Investigation of a nonstationary flow field generated by a dielectric barrier discharge

The search for ways of controlling a flow over flight vehicles is today an extremely topical issue, since the limiting capabilities of standard control methods are the bulk of the progress of space technology. A promising technique in this respect is the application of activators using a low-temperature plasma. Specifically, these electrogasdynamic devices can directly convert electrical energy to a mechanical action on the flow. An activator based on a dielectric barrier discharge is considered. The nonstationary behavior of the activator is studied by measuring the electrodynamic parameters of the discharge and also by measuring induced velocity fields with particle image velocimetry. The instantaneous and integral parameters of the gas acceleration stage are found, and the efficiency of the activator is determined.