Modeling plasma actuators with air chemistry for effective flow control

An asymmetric dielectric barrier discharge model is presented for real gas air chemistry using a self-consistent multibody system of plasma, dielectric, and neutral gas modeled together to predict the electrodynamic force imparted to the working gas. The equations governing the motion of charged and neutral species are solved with Poisson equation using finite element method using a Galerkin weak formulation. Electric field profile changes with the increase in grounded electrode and the density increases downstream. The electrodynamic force development mechanism is studied over a flat plate due to charge and neutral species production from adjacent air in a radio frequency driven barrier discharge. The time average of the force shows mostly acceleration above the actuator. Numerical simulation confirms that the magnitude of force increases very slightly with the increase in the length of grounded electrode.