Reactive Control of Boundary Layer Streaks Induced by Freestream Turbulence Using Plasma Actuators

Over the past few years we have carried out a systematic series of investigations aimed at evaluating the capability of a plasma-actuator-based feedforward-feedback control system to weaken streaks induced ``synthetically'' in a Blasius boundary layer via dynamic roughness elements. This work has been motivated by the delay of bypass boundary layer transition in which the streaks form stochastically beneath a freestream with turbulence of intensity of more than approximately 1{\%}. In the present work, we carry forward the knowhow from our previous research in a first attempt to control such naturally occurring streaks. The experimental setup consists of a turbulence-generating grid upstream of a flat plate with a sharp leading edge. At the freestream velocity of the experiment, turbulent spot formation is observed to start at a streamwise location of $x \quad \approx $ 350 mm from the leading edge. The control system is implemented within a streamwise domain stretching from $x \quad =$ 150 mm to 300mm, where the streaks exhibit linear growth. At the upstream and downstream end of the domain a feedforward and a feedback wall-shear-stress sensors are utilized. The output from the sensors is fed to appropriately designed controllers which drive two plasma actuators providing positive and negative wall-normal forcing to oppose naturally occurring high- and low-speed streaks respectively. The results provide an assessment of the viability of the control approach to weaken the boundary layer streaks and to delay transition.