Test Conditions for Performance Characterization of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Plasma Actuators for Active Flow Control in Jet Engines

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma actuators for active flow control in the jet engine need to be tested in the laboratory to characterize their performance at flight operating conditions. DBD plasma actuators generate a wall-jet electronically by creating weakly ionized plasma, therefore their performance is affected by gas discharge properties, which in turn depend on the pressure and temperature at the actuator placement location. Characterization of actuators is initially performed in a laboratory chamber without external flow. It is usually impractical to simultaneously set engine pressures and temperatures in a chamber, and a simplified approach is desired. It is assumed that the plasma discharge depends only on the gas density. Other temperature effects are assumed to be negligible. Therefore, tests can be performed at room temperature with chamber pressure set to yield the same density as in engine operating flight conditions. Engine data was obtained from four generic engine models; 300-, 150-, and 50-Passenger (PAX) aircraft engines, and a military jet-fighter engine. The static and total pressure, temperature, and density distributions along the engine were calculated for sea-level takeoff and altitude cruise, and the chamber pressures needed to test the actuators were calculated. The results show that testing has to be performed over a wide range of pressures from 12.4 to 0.03 atm, depending on the application. For example, if a DBD plasma actuator is to be placed at the compressor exit of a 300 PAX engine, it has to be tested at 12.4 atm for takeoff, and 6 atm for cruise conditions. If it is to be placed at the low-pressure turbine, it has to be tested at 0.5 and 0.2 atm, respectively. These results have implications for the feasibility and design of DBD plasma actuators for jet engine flow control applications. In addition, the distributions of unit Reynolds number, Mach number, and velocity along the engine are provided. The engine models are non-proprietary and this information can be used for evaluation of other types of actuators and for other purposes.