Progress in research of plasma-assisted flow control, ignition and combustion

The technology of plasma-assisted flow control, ignition and combustion has wide application prospects in improving aircrafts' aerodynamic characteristics and propulsion efficiency. We reviewed progress in research of plasma assisted flow control, ignition, and combustion, and put forward some outlook of related issues. In the field of researches of plasma flow control, obvious progresses in the mechanism and characteristics of plasma aerodynamic actuation based on dielectric barrier discharge and arc discharge, as well as in the principle of flow separation control and shock wave strength reduction, is achieved. Boundary layer transition delay and shock wave/boundary layer interaction control are becoming hot spots, aiming at key technologies breakthrough. In the field of researches of plasma-assisted ignition and combustion, plasma could reduce ignition delay time, change flame propagation mode, and realize low temperature ignition. The main generation mechanism of oxygen atoms and its combustion augmentation effect, as well as the effect of NO_x catalysis, have been revealed. Simple plasma-assisted combustion model of carbon-hydrogen mixture gas has been built, and some technologies are in practical use. In the future, the development of plasma flow control and plasma- assisted combustion will be coupled with each other. In the aspect of mechanisms, new types of plasma sources will be developed, multi time and space scale diagnose and coupling model will be built, and mechanism of plasma flow control and plasma assisted combustion will be revealed to raise the control and ignition effect under high velocity and high pressure conditions. In the aspect of techniques, key techniques such as mini and high efficiency power source, durable plasma actuator will be solved to improve the technology's readiness.