Experimental investigation on laminar separation control for flow over a two-dimensional bump

The laminar boundary layer separation flow over a two-dimensional bump controlled by synthetic jets is experimentally investigated in a water channel with hydrogen-bubble visualisation and particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques. The two-dimensional synthetic jet is applied near the separation point. Two Reynolds numbers (Re = 700 and 1120) based on the bump height and free-stream velocity are adopted in this experiment, and seven different excitation frequencies at each Reynolds number are considered, focusing on the separation control as well as the vortex dynamics. The experimental results show that the optimal control can only be achieved within some excitation frequencies at both Reynolds numbers. However, beyond this range, further increasing the excitation frequency leads to an increase in the separation region. The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) technique and vortex identification by swirling strength (Λ_ci) are applied for the deeper analysis of the separated flow. The reconstructed Λ_ci field by the first four POD modes is used and vortex lock-on phenomenon is observed. It is found that the negative synthetic jet vortex with clockwise rotation draws the separated wake shear layer as it is convected downstream, and then they syncretise together. Thus, the new vortex is induced and shedding downstream periodically.