This paper deals with the physics and design of single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators for enhanced aerodynamics in a variety of applications. The actuators consist of two electrodes: one exposed to the air and the other covered by a dielectric material. The electrodes are supplied with an alternating current voltage that, at high enough levels, causes the air over the covered electrode to ionize. The ionized air, in the presence of the electric field produced by the electrode geometry, results in a body force vector that acts on the ambient air. The body force is the mechanism for active aerodynamic control. The plasma generation is a dynamic process within the alternating current cycle. The body force per unit volume of plasma has been derived from first principles and implemented in numerical flow simulations. Models for the time and space dependence of the body force on the input voltage amplitude, frequency, electrode geometry, and dielectric properties have been developed and used along with experiments to optimize actuator performance. This paper presents results that highlight the plasma actuator characteristics and modeling approach. This is followed by overviews of some of the applications that include leading-edge separation control oil airfoils, dynamic-stall vortex control on oscillating airfoils, and trailing-edge separation control on simulated turbine blades.
