Closed-Loop Cavity Shear Layer Control Using Plasma Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuators

The complex unsteady flow in cavities leads to the formation of large-scale disturbances in the shear layer. Natural closed-loop mechanisms provoke a dramatic increase in pressure pulsations and aerodynamic noise. This paper presents the experimental study of pressure fluctuations in closed-loop control in rectangular cavities using plasma dielectric barrier discharge. The flow velocity was 37 m/s, and the Reynolds number based on a cavity depth was approximately 120,000. The discharge ignition near the leading edge of the cavity provoked the shear layer restructuring. It was found that pressure fluctuations with an amplitude of 120 dB occur at frequencies 480 and 820 Hz. Frequency modulation of the discharge at resonant peaks was carried out by changing the phase shift of the power supply. The peak amplitude was reduced or increased by phase shifts from natural disturbances to forced ones. The optimum energy input was 50 W/m. This was three times less than the power consumption of the open-loop mode. The PIV visualization was organized in the phase-locked mode. The pressure spectrum corresponds to the magnitude of coherent structures in the shear layer of the cavity.