Active control by surface dielectric barrier discharge actuator of a reattached shear layer

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects produced by a dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator on the separated shear layer flow downstream a backward-facing step. It was highlighted that the electric wind created by the actuator results in an important modification in the flow dynamics when the Strouhal number of the perturbation is equal to 0.25. Then, a lock-on of the vortical flow structures is observed.