Application of an AC barrier discharge actuator to control airflow separation above a NACA 0015 airfoil: Optimization of the actuation location along the chord

This paper deals with the control of airflow separation above a NACA 0015 airfoil with the help of a surface plasma actuator. A dielectric barrier discharge plasma is used to modify velocity in the boundary layer, tangentially to the wall. The goal of the actuation is to displace (upstream or downstream) the separation location, in either reattaching a naturally detached airflow or in detaching a naturally attached airflow. The ultimate goal of these experiments is to better understand where one has to act along the profile chord (as a function of the angle of attack) to be the most effective. These experiments show that the plasma actuator is more effective when it acts close to the natural separation location, and that the power consumption can be highly reduced in using a non-stationary actuation. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.