Dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) for drag reduction
 

I was looking into research on using Dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) to minimize or eliminate the reverse flow in fan shrouds/ducts caused by wing/blade tip vortex shedding. When I came across this:
Aerodynamic drag reduction for a truck model using DBD plasma actuators
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10....78132221087852

"...the maximum drag reduction using three comb-shaped plasma actuators at the trailing edge of the trailer is 8.7%..."

I imagine that this may just be the tip of the iceburgon 'aero-ing' the rear of cars without using long tails. Maybe not, but certainly worth more research.

Speaking of research:
Sci-hub
is your friend. (Google it. Try more than just the 1st result as ScienceDirect and other research paper peddlers are forever trying to shut them down)
NB that you also get browser extensions to automate the process, but buyer beware...

Oops; wrong place and no way to delete the post..?

Petition the mods.

The best old thread seems to be ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/plasma-drag-reduction from 2016-04.

This makes more sense to me vs AC:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42284-w

See Fig 4, 5b and 6 to get the visual summary. :)

Thx for the link Freebeard.

Mod/s plz could you move this.

Try a Personal Message. There's a Contact Us link in each page footer.

' Rn 25,000 '
 

Here's the tip-off that the investigators reside completely within an academic environment, and don't yet know a thing about fluid mechanics / aerodynamics, their results having no bearing on the 'real world.'
' Trust no one '

The "tip off"?
Where?

As far as I could see they did an OK job of their experiment..?

Then the 2nd link really got my attention as the electron flow is in one direction vs AC DBDs.

DBD Plasma Actuation on the Blades of Axial-Flow Turbomachinery

Abstract

Flow separation, or stall, in axial flow turbomachinery results in a loss of pressure or compression in the case of fans and compressors, or the loss of power or thrust generation in the case of turbines. Wave-power-based Wells turbines, in particular, suffer so acutely from blade stall during normal operation, that it compromises their viability as a major renewable energy resource. In this research, pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators were implemented on the blades of a mono-plane Wells turbine impeller and its full-bandwidth performance was evaluated. An initial parametric study indicated that blade-tip reduced frequencies ≥2.5 produced the greatest impeller acceleration from rest. The corresponding physical pulsation frequency was then used as a basis for conducting nominally steady-state experiments as well as experiments involving acceleration and deceleration of the impeller. Data so acquired, corresponding to a reduced frequency range of 0.9 to 2.5, was compiled to construct an impeller performance map. Plasma pulsations dramatically increased the effective impeller bandwidth by producing useful net power well beyond flow ratios where mono-plane impellers spin down to a standstill. In fact, the shaft power at a 17° blade-tip angle of attack exceeded the plasma input power by a factor of 33. These findings are potentially game-changing for wave energy generation and axial flow turbomachinery in general.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10...030-90727-3_16

A factor of 33 at an angle of attack of 17 degrees..!
How does this stuff not get your interest?
17 degrees with no stall/turbulence means a way shorter tail for a vehicle.

One might also encourage a air direction change on the high pressure area of a vehicle's nose.

drag reduction ... is 8.7%?

I appreciated the mention of the Wells turbine, but then they go on about angle of attack.

' tip off '
 

1) Aerodynamic drag is closely associated with 'Boundary-Layer-Theory.'
2) The very fact that the investigators reported the Reynolds number that they did belies the fact that they haven't a clue about aerodynamics or fluid mechanics.
3) Their findings are 'trash'.
4) It won't prevent them from achieving a Ph.D. though, as people who are completely 'wrong' about physics can get Ph.D.s any day of the week!