Near-Surface Electrical Discharge in Supersonic Airflow: Properties and Flow Control

The results of experimental and numerical investigations of the interaction between the near-wall electrical discharge and supersonic airflow in an aerodynamic channel with constant and variable cross sections are presented. Peculiar properties of the surface quasi-direct-current discharge generation in the flow are described. The mode with flow separation developing outside the discharge region is revealed as a specific feature of such a configuration. An interaction model is proposed on the basis of measurements and observations. A regime of gas-dynamic screening of a mechanical obstacle installed on the channel wall is studied. Variation of the main flow parameters caused by the surface discharge is quantified. The ability of the discharge to shift an oblique shock in an inlet is demonstrated experimentally. The influence of relaxation processes in nonequilibrium excited gas on the flow structure is analyzed. Comparison of the experimental data with the results of calculations based on the analytical model and on numerical simulations is presented.