TURBULENCE CONTROL OF AERONAUTICAL FLOWS WITH PLASMA-INDUCED JETS

In this study, we present a first attempt to control wall turbulence at high friction Reynolds numbers (Reτ ≈ 8000&14400) by means of an array of sinusoidally-shaped, wall-mounted plasma actuators. While the final aim is to reduce friction drag by disrupting the wall turbulence cycle, this study presents a preliminary effort in assessing whether the deployed flow control approach is effective in controlling turbulence at high Reynolds numbers. The experiments were carried out in the world-unique Long Pipe facility at the CICLoPE laboratory. High-speed, high-resolution particle image velocimetry captured the effects of the performed flow control. The presented results show the potential of these actuators of having a significant impact on the turbulent statistics and on the spectral signature of the turbulent fluctuations at both the tested flow velocities. Specifically, while the streamwise velocity fluctuations near the wall are reduced, those in the logarithmic layer appear to be enhanced.