Phase effect on flow control for dielectric barrier plasma actuators

Active control of flow has a wide range of applications. Specifically, mitigation of detachment due to the weakly ionized gas flow past a flat plate at an angle of attack is studied using two asymmetric sets of electrode pairs kept at a phase lag. The equations governing the dynamics of electrons, helium ions, and neutrals are solved self-consistently with charge-Poisson equation. The eletrodynamic forces produced by two actuators largely depend on the relative phase between the potentials applied to rf electrodes and distance between them. A suitable phase and an optimum distance exist between two actuators for effective separation control.