Three-phase traveling wave surface discharge along an insulating flat plate in air: application to electrohydrodynamically airflow control

Several studies have shown that a surface corona discharge may be used as an air-moving actuator in order to control the airflow around an obstacle, such as a plane wing to reduce the drag for example. For few years, our laboratory has been working on this subject, especially in the case of a DC corona discharge. The present paper deals with an experimental work about three-phase traveling wave surface plasma produced by a set of wire electrodes flush mounted on the surface of an insulating flat plate. First, electrical properties (such as the discharge current versus the electric field) of this discharge have been observed as a function of several following geometric and atmospheric parameters: the electrode diameter, the presence of a dielectric barrier, the distance between the electrodes, the traveling wave frequency, the air humidity and the atmospheric pressure. Secondly, visualizations of the airflow around the flat plate are presented. They show the influence of the discharge on the velocity airflow close to the wall.