Numerical Investigation of Flow Separation Control over Rotor Blades Using Plasma Actuator

Abstract

The flow separation control over rotating rotor blades in hover using an alternating current dielectric barrier discharge (AC-DBD) plasma actuator is investigated through numerical simulation, possibly for the first time. Three-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes calculation with a Reynolds stress turbulence model is adopted to resolve the airflow. The impact of the AC-DBD plasma discharge on the airflow is modeled by an empirical body force model. The objective of this work is to characterize the separated flow over the rotating blades, resolve the flow control procedure, reveal the flow control mechanism, and evaluate the control authority. Compared with the experiment, the numerical simulation can provide satisfactory predictions of the baseline flow over the rotor for the qualitative flow pattern and quantitative aerodynamic features. The good agreement between the simulation and experiment lends credibility to the observations made from the numerical result. It is found that in the baseline flow, the flow separation occurs in the vicinity of the blade tips and exhibits strong three-dimensional characteristics under the influence of centrifugal force. The plasma excitation can significantly inhibit the flow separation over the blades at large angles of attack (AOAs). The flow control is seen to be dominated by the spanwise vortices induced by the plasma discharges, for which the strong entrainment effect makes the separated flow fully or partially reattach to the blade surfaces. The resulting forced flow pattern is influenced by the AOA of the blades. At each high AOA under consideration, the controlled flow is a significant improvement over the baseline case, and the aerodynamic characteristics of the rotor blades are appreciably enhanced.