Electric wind induced by sliding discharge in air at atmospheric pressure

This paper deals with an experimental study about the electric wind induced by three different surface discharges based on dielectric barrier discharges and sliding discharges, at atmospheric pressure in ambient air. These discharges are established between two or three electrodes, flush mounted at the wall of a flat plate. A typical industrial application of such surface discharges may be, for instance, airflow control, because they may be used as an air-moving actuator, usually called “plasma actuator”. First, the electrical current of these different discharges is analyzed. Secondly, the time-averaged velocity of the electric wind produced by each discharge is measured with a Pitot tube sensor. Then, their effect on the boundary layer of a low-velocity airflow is studied by particle image velocimetry (PIV).