Body force of plasma actuator with different operating conditions using phase-resolved approach

Plasma actuators are electric devices that can generate a flow of air without any moving parts. The salient feature of a plasma actuator is its ability to impart a body force in the region of the ionized air. The force produced is unsteady. A phase-resolved determination of force distribution is important to develop models that better approximate physical conditions for use in numerical simulations and design. Phase resolved study of the body force generated by the plasma actuator is performed experimentally using Particle Image Velocimetry. The primary objective of the present work is to study the ability of plasma actuators to transfer momentum to the air and the contribution of terms in the momentum equations used to compute the body force from the planar flow field measurements. The spatial and temporal evolution of the effect of the forcing by the actuator has been discussed with emphasis on the acceleration term.