Simulation of flow induced by single-dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma actuator using a high-order flux-reconstruction scheme
Longxiang Zhao, Zuoli Xiao, Feng Liu
Abstract
The starting vortex flow generated by a single-dielectric-barrier-discharge (SDBD) plasma actuator in still air is investigated numerically by direct numerical simulation (DNS) using a 4th order Navier–Stokes solver and Suzen's model for the plasma actuator. The Navier–Stokes equations and the equations for the electric field and the charge density distribution in the plasma body force model are solved by the same high-order method based on the flux reconstruction algorithm on arbitrary mixed grids, allowing easy extension to configurations of complex geometry. The computational method and its high orders of accuracy are verified for the problem of the translation of an isentropic vortex and validated for the vortex shedding problem behind a circular cylinder. The plasma body force model is then implemented in the Navier–Stokes code to perform highly resolved DNS of the starting vortex generated by an SDBD plasma actuator. The computed vortex pattern and its trajectory with time are compared with available experimental data. The computational results confirm similarity laws on the motion of the vortex.