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Control of laminar-turbulent transition in a swept-wing-type boundary-layer flow, subject to primary crossflow instability, is investigated using direct numerical simulations. In our previous works, we explored a direct base-flow stabilization aimed at a spanwise homogenous flow manipulation or a direct crossflow-vortex manipulation by plasma actuators. In this paper, the technique of upstream flow deformation (UFD) is applied, needing by far the least energy input. The actuators, modeled by local volume forcing, are set to excite amplified steady crossflow vortex (CFV) control modes with a higher spanwise wavenumber than the most amplified modes. The resulting nonlinear control CFVs are spaced narrower than the naturally occurring vortices and are less unstable with respect to secondary instability. They generate a beneficial mean-flow distortion attenuating the primary crossflow instability, and thus a delay of the transition to turbulence. Unlike roughness elements for UFD, the employed dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators allow to set the force direction: Forcing against the crossflow has a direct, fundamental stabilizing effect due to a reduction of the mean crossflow, whereas forcing in the crossflow direction locally invokes the opposite due to a local increase of the mean crossflow. The differences between these settings, also with respect to forcing in streamwise direction, are discussed in detail, and it is shown that a significant transition delay can be achieved indeed with both, however with a differing efficiency and robustness. Additionally, a comparison to a set-up with an excitation of the control modes by synthetic blowing and suction is performed to clarify the role of the direct effect on the base flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop simulation techniques for reconstructing microdischarges in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator and analyze spanwise non-uniformity in a body force field, three-dimensional discharge plasma simulations of a DBD plasma actuator were conducted assuming step-like positive and negative applied voltages. Our study showed that to break the spanwise uniformity, some disturbances were required in the computational conditions to reconstruct the three-dimensional microdischarges, and the attachment of some minute bumps (several tens of micrometers in size) on the electrode edge allowed for the successful reconstruction of glow-type microdischarges and streamer-type filamentary discharges in the negative and positive applied voltage cases, respectively. The tentative body force field has strong spanwise non-uniformity corresponding to the plasma structure, and in addition, a spanwise directional body force also exists, especially in the streamer discharge. However, the spanwise averaged body force has the same spatial-distribution and time-evolution characteristics obtained with the two-dimensional simulation. VC 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]