Graduation Semester and Year

2014

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

First Advisor

Luca Massa

Abstract

Gas discharge actuation of fluid dynamics phenomena has garnered significantattention in recent years due to their low-power requirements andtheir geometrical simplicity, amongst others. However, many of their actuationmechanisms and physical couplings are still not well-understood,calling for numerical efforts to address many of theseproblems. Modeling and simulation of plasma-flow interaction is anexhaustive task because of the multi-physics, multi-scale nature ofthe problem. One particular concern is the appropriate modeling of thedischarge detailed chemistry in order to reduce the computationalcost associated with it while capturing all of its finest features. \\Modern reduction techniques attempt to create reduced-order models ofchemical kinetics by identifying low-dimensional invariant attractorsin phase space. These attractors, or some forms of approximation, are parametrized and stored with the intention of retrievalin time-intensive multiscale, turbulent, CFD simulations. Two popular rational reductiontechniques are applied to several electrical discharge systems innoble gases after addressing their appropriate modeling with theintention of studying the structure and character of theirone-dimensional invariant attractor under a wide range of reducedelectric fields. It is shown that the branches of the manifoldcorrespond to high and low ionization states and that a particularattractor exists for a small range of low reduced fields. This is ofgreat importance to the modeling of flow actuation chemistry. Finally, itis demonstrated that electron runaway is analogous to radicalexplosion in combustion.

Disciplines

Aerospace Engineering | Engineering | Mechanical Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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