Experimental investigation of separation bubble control on an iced airfoil using plasma actuator

In this paper, the flow control on an iced airfoil has been experimentally studied by installation of DBD plasma actuator. Flow pattern and aerodynamic parameters of runback iced NACA 23012 airfoil have been studied at angles of attack close to stall and post-stall under plasma-on and plasma-off states at Re = 0.6 x 10(6), and the results were compared with those of clean airfoil. It was found that by activating the plasma actuator upstream of the ice accumulation, the stall angle delays 2 degrees and the iced airfoil maximum lift coefficient increases about 6%. In addition, at 16 degrees angle of attack, the airfoil lift to drag aerodynamic ratio (LSD) increases about 100%. Indeed, it is concluded that by controlling the separation bubble, the plasma actuator is almost able to eliminate the adverse effects of icing on the airfoil aerodynamic performance. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.