Experimental Study on the Working Characteristics of Tri-Electrode Plasma Actuator Utilizing a Combination of Corona and Barrier Discharges

Abstract

A tri-electrode plasma actuator (TED-PA), which has an additional electrode with a DC voltage, induces jets from two facing electrodes and achieves larger thrust and higher efficiency than a conventional dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator. However, there are problems such as the large potential difference between the exposed electrodes, which can cause sparks and device destruction. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the working mechanism of TED-PAs and optimize their configuration and applied voltage. In this study, we obtained the discharge photograph, the thrust, and the flow velocity field and investigated the characteristics of the DC voltage and the frequency of the AC voltage. To isolate the effects of the discharge from the potential variation, a corona discharge plasma actuator and a TED-PA were compared. As a result, increasing the frequency of the AC voltage induced stronger jets from the AC and DC electrodes. This result indicates that the barrier discharge enhances the jet from the DC electrode without changing the potential difference between the electrodes.