Characterization of Plasma-Induced Flow Thermal Effects for Wind Turbine Icing Mitigation

Frederico Rodrigues (), Miguel Moreira and José Páscoa
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Frederico Rodrigues: C-MAST (Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
Miguel Moreira: C-MAST (Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
José Páscoa: C-MAST (Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-13

Abstract: Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators have recently become desirable devices for simultaneous flow control and ice mitigation applications, with particular interest in wind turbines operating in cold climates. Considering the potential of plasma actuators for these specific applications, it is necessary to deeply understand the thermal effects generated by the plasma-induced flow to proceed with further optimizations. However, due to the local high electric field and high electromagnetic interference generated, there is a lack of experimental studies on the topic. The current work implements an in-house experimental technique based on the background-oriented schlieren principle for plasma-induced flow thermal characterization. Since this technique is based on optical measurements, it is not affected by the electromagnetic interference issues caused by the plasma discharge. A detailed experimental analysis is performed on a conventional Kapton actuator exploiting the relation between the actuator surface temperature and the induced thermal flow. The influence of the input voltage and the transient plasma-induced flow thermal behavior is analyzed. The results demonstrate that plasma actuators are fast response time devices that can heat the adjacent medium in less than a second after starting the operation.

Keywords: plasma actuators; thermal characterization; dielectric barrier discharges; background oriented schlieren; wind energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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