Abstract

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma actuators offer the possibility of influencing the near-wall flow in such a way that the laminar-turbulent transition can be promoted or delayed. The presentation begins with a brief review of the electrical characteristics of DBD actuators and their imposed body force on the flow. This is followed by a summary of four methods with which the transition can be controlled: boundary-layer stabilization, active wave cancellation, hybrid and direct mode, and through the generation of longitudinal vortices. The fundamentals of each flow control strategy will be outlined and application examples are given, including demonstrations in the wind tunnel on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and also in flight on motorized gliders. The presentation concludes with an outlook of future work.

About the speaker

Prof Cameron Tropea graduated from the University of Toronto in Engineering Sciences, followed by a MS in Mechanical Engineering in 1977. He completed his PhD in Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Karlsruhe in 1982 and his Habilitation in Fluid Mechanics at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in 1991 where he was appointed as Professor of Fluid Mechanics until 1997. He then joined the Technische Universität Darmstadt and is currently the Head of the Institute for Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics.

Prof Tropea’s research interests include Optical Measurement Techniques in Fluid Mechanics, lnterfacial Transport Phenomena, Atomization and Spray Processes and Unsteady Aerodynamics. He has been the editor-in-chief of the springer journal Experiments in Fluids since 2002.

The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study
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