Flow control consists of manipulating flows in an effective and robust manner to improve the global performances of transport systems or industrial processes. Plasma technologies, and particularly surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), can be a good candidate for such purpose. The present experimental study focuses on optical and electrical characterization of plasma sheet formed by applying a pulse of voltage with rising and falling periods of 50 ns for a typical surface DBD geometry. Positive and negative polarities are compared in terms of current behavior, deposited energy, fast-imaging of the plasma propagation, and resulting modifications of the surrounding medium by using shadowgraphy acquisitions. Positive and negative pulses of voltage produce streamers and corona type plasma, respectively. Both of them result in the production of a localized pressure wave propagating in the air with a speed maintained at 343 m/s (measurements at room temperature of 20 °C). This suggests that the produced pressure wave can be considered as a propagating sound wave. The intensity of the pressure wave is directly connected to the dissipated energy at the dielectric wall with a linear increase with the applied voltage amplitude and a strong dependence toward the rising time. At constant voltage amplitude, the pressure wave is reinforced by using a positive pulse. The present investigation also reveals that rising and decaying periods of a single pulse of voltage result in two distinct pressure waves. As a result, superposition or successive pressure wave can be produced by adjusting the width of the pulse.

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Ecole Nationale Supé rieure de Mé canique et d'Aé rotechnique, Futuroscope Chasseneuil Cedex, FranceThis work presents results of quenching distance and heat flux measurements during the head-on quenching of transient laminar stoichiometric methane=air flame in the pressure range 0.05-1.7 MPa. The results of direct visualization have been used to measure the quenching distance and to prove the relationship relating the quenching distance and heat flux to the wall over the global combustion reaction rate. It is shown that quenching distance decreases from 0.43 to 0.016 mm with pressure rise from 0.05 to 1.7 MPa. The maximum wall heat flux increases nonlinearly from 0.35 to 2.3 MW=m 2 with pressure rise from 0.05 to 1.7 MPa. The dimensionless value of the heat flux depends only slightly on the pressure and decreases from 0.3 to 0.2 with rise of pressure in this pressure range. Flame-wall interaction time is about constant and equal to 0.15-0.155 ms in all ranges of pressure variation.

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The homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion process is an advanced operating mode for automotive engines. The self-ignition mechanisms that occur within the combustion chamber exhibit extreme temperature dependence. Therefore, the thorough understanding of corresponding phenomena requires the use of diagnostic methods featuring a sufficient thermal sensitivity, applicable in severe conditions similar to those encountered within engines. In this respect, toluene planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is applied to the inert compression flow generated within an optical rapid compression machine (RCM). A relatively simple diagnostic system is retained: a single wavelength excitation device (266 nm) and a single (filtered) collection system. This diagnostic system is associated with an image processing strategy specifically adapted to RCM devices. Despite the severe conditions under consideration (40 bar, 700–950 K), the method allows us to obtain relatively large two-dimensional temperature fields that display a level of description seldom achieved in such devices. In particular the temperature gradients, which play a crucial role in HCCI combustion processes, can be estimated. The present experimental results confirm the good reliability and accuracy of the method. The information gathered with this toluene PLIF method puts in evidence its high potentialities for the study of aero-thermal-reactive processes as they take place in real engine conditions. The retained strategy also brings new possibilities of non-intrusive analysis for flows practically encountered within industrial devices.

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