Effects of Atmospheric Pressure on Developmental Characteristics and the Stability of Air Entraining Agent for Concrete

In order to ascertain the effects of atmospheric pressure on developmental characteristics and the stability of AEA(air-entraining agent)solution bubbles,AEA solution experiments and AEA solution bubble experiments were,respectively,conducted in Peking(50 m,101.2 kPa)and Lhasa(3,650 m,63.1 kPa).Surface tensions and inflection-point concentrations were tested based on AEA solutions,whilst developmental characteristics,thicknesses and elastic coefficients of liquid films were tested based on air bubbles of AEA solutions.The study involved three types of AEAs,which were TM-O,226A,and 226S.The experimental results show that initial sizes of TM-O,226A,and 226S are,respectively,increased by 43.5%,17.5%,and 3.8%.With the decrease of ambient pressure,the drainage rate and the drainage index of AEA solution bubbles increase.Interference experiments show that the liquid film thicknesses of all tested AEA solution bubbles are in micron scales.When the atmospheric pressure decreases from 101.2 to 63.1 kPa,the liquid film thicknesses of three types of AEA solutions decrease in various degrees;and film elasticities at critical thicknesses increase.Liquid film of 226S solution bubbles is the most stable,presenting as a minimum thickness variation.It should be noted that elastic coefficient of liquid film only represents the level at critical thickness,thus it can not be applied as the only evaluating indicator of bubble stability.For a type of AEA,factors affecting the stability of its bubbles under low atmospheric pressure include initial bubbles size,liquid film thickness,liquid film elasticity,ambient temperature,etc.

Discharge and mass transfer characteristics of atmospheric pressure gas-solid two-phase gliding arc

In this work,a gas-solid two-phase gliding arc discharge(GS-GAD)reactor was built.Gliding arc was formed in the gap between the blade electrodes,and solid powder was deposited on the sieve plate positioned beneath the blade electrodes.A range of experimental parameters,including the inter-electrode spacing,gas flow rate,applied voltage,and the type of the powder,were systematically varied to elucidate the influence of solid powder matter on the dynamics of gliding arc discharge(GAD).The discharge images were captured by ICCD and digital camera to investigate the mass transfer characteristics of GS-GAD,and the electrical parameters,such as the effective values of voltage,current,and discharge power were record to reveal the discharge characteristics of GS-GAD.The results demonstrate that powder undergoes spontaneous movement towards the upper region of the gliding arc due to the influence of electric field force.Increasing the discharge voltage,decreasing relative dielectric constant of the powder and reducing the electrode-to-sieve-plate distance all contribute to a greater involvement of powder in the GAD process,subsequently resulting in an enhanced powder concentration within the GAD region.Additionally,powder located beneath the gliding arc experiences downward resistance caused by the opposing gas flow and arc.Excessive gas flow rate notably hampers the powder concentration within the discharge region,and the velocity of powder motion in the upper part of the GAD region is reduced.Under the condition of electrode-to-sieve-plate distance of 30 mm,gas flow rate of 1.5 L/min,and peak-to-peak voltage of 31 kV,the best combination of arc gliding and powder spark discharge phenomena can be achieved with the addition of Al_(2)O_(3) powder.

Influence of bias voltage and oxygen addition on the discharge aspects of a diffuse argon plume in an atmospheric pressure plasma jet

A remote plasma,also referred to as a plasma plume(diffuse or filamentary),is normally formed downstream of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet.In this study,a diffuse plume is formed by increasing the bias voltage(U_(b))applied to the downstream electrode of an argon plasma jet excited by a negatively pulsed voltage.The results indicate that the plume is filamentary when U_(b)is low,which transits to the diffuse plume with increasing U_(b).The discharge initiated at the rising edge of the pulsed voltage is attributed to the diffuse plume,while that at the falling edge contributes to the filament in the plume.For the diffuse plume,the discharge intensity decreases with the increasing oxygen content(C_o).Fast photography reveals that the diffuse plume results from a negative streamer,which has a dark region near the nozzle with C_o=0%.However,the dark region is absent with C_o=0.5%.From the optical emission spectrum,the electron density,electron excitation temperature,gas temperature,and oxygen atom concentration are investigated.

The Influence of Atmospheric Pressure on Air Content and Pore Structure of Air-entrained Concrete

To study the effect of atmospheric pressure on the properties of fresh and hardened airentrained concrete, three kinds of air entraining agents were used for preparing air-entrained concrete in the plateaus(Lhasa, 61 kPa) and the plains(Beijing, 101 kPa). Air content, slump, compressive strength and pore structure of the three air-entrained concretes were tested in these two places. It is found that the air content of concrete under low atmospheric pressure(LAP) is 4%-36% lower than that of concrete under normal atmospheric pressure(NAP), which explaines the decrease of slump for air-entrained concrete under LAP. Pore number of hardened concrete under LAP is reduced by 48%-69%. While, the proportion of big pores(pore diameter >1 200 μm) and air void spacing factor are increased by 1.5%-7.3% and 51%-92%, respectively. The deterioration of pore structure results in a 3%-9% reduction in the compressive strength of concrete. From the results we have obtained, it can be concluded that the increase of critical nucleation energy of air bubbles and the decrease of volumetric compressibility coefficient of air in the concrete are responsible for the variation of air content and pore structure of concrete under LAP.

Bacteria Inactivation Using DBD Plasma Jet in Atmospheric Pressure Argon

A coaxial dielectric barrier discharge plasma jet was designed, which can be operated in atmospheric pressure argon under an intermediate frequency sinusoidal resonant power supply, and an atmospheric pressure glow-like discharge was achieved. Two kinds of typical bacteria, i.e., the Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） and Escherichia coil （E. coil）, were employed to study the bacterial inactivation mechanism by means of the non-thermal plasma. The killing log value （KLV） of S. aureus reached up to 5.38 with a treatment time of 90 s and that of E. coil up to 5.36 with 60 s, respectively. According to the argon emission spectra of the plasma jet and the scanning electron microscope （SEM） images of the two bacteria before and after the plasma treatment, it is concluded that the reactive species in the argon plasma played a major role in the bacterial inactivation, while the heat, electric field and UV photons had little effect.

Two-dimensional numerical study of an atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet with dual-power electrode

In this paper, the characteristics of an atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet generated by a dual-power electrode （DPE） configuration are investigated by using a two-dimensional fluid model. The effect of a needle electrode on the discharge is studied by comparing the results of the DPE configuration with those of the single ring electrode configuration. It is found that the existence of the needle leads to the generation of a helium plasma jet with a higher propagation velocity, higher species density, and larger discharge width. Furthermore, the influences of the needle radius and needle-to-ring discharge gap on the generation of a plasma jet are also studied. The simulation results indicate that the needle electrode has an evident influence on the plasma jet characteristics.

The Impact of Relative Humidity and Atmospheric Pressure on Mortality in Guangzhou, China

Objective Although many studies have examined the effects of ambient temperatures on mortality, little evidence is on health impacts of atmospheric pressure and relative humidity. This study aimed to assess the impacts of atmospheric pressure and relative humidity on mortality in Guangzhou, China. Methods This study included 213,737 registered deaths during 2003-2011 in Guangzhou, China. A quasi-Poisson regression with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to assess the effects of atmospheric pressure/relative humidity. Results We found significant effect of low atmospheric pressure/relative humidity on mortality. There was a 1.79% （95% confidence interval： 0.38%-3.22%） increase in non-accidental mortality and a 2.27% （0.07%-4.51%） increase in cardiovascular mortality comparing the 5th and 25th percentile of atmospheric pressure. A 3.97% （0.67%-7.39%） increase in cardiovascular mortality was also observed comparing the 5th and 25th percentile of relative humidity. Women were more vulnerable to decrease in atmospheric pressure and relative humidity than men. Age and education attainment were also potential effect modifiers. Furthermore, low atmospheric pressure and relative humidity increased temperature-related mortality. Conclusion Both low atmospheric pressure and relative humidity are important risk factors of mortality. Our findings would be helpful to develop health risk assessment and climate policy interventions that would better protect vulnerable subgroups of the population.

Surface Treatment of Polyethylene Terephthalate Film Using Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Air

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in polymer surface processing because of their convenience, effectiveness and low cost. In this paper, the treatment of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film surface for improving hydrophilicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) in air is conducted. The discharge characteristics of APGD are shown by measurement of their electrical discharge parameters and observation of light-emission phenomena, and the surface properties of PET before and after the APGD treatment are studied using contact angle measurement, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that the APGD is homogeneous and stable in the whole gas gap, which differs from the commonly filamentary dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). A short time (several seconds) APGD treatment can modify the surface characteristics of PET film markedly and uniformly. After 10 s APGD treatment, the

Atmospheric pressure gliding arc discharge plasma treatments for improving germination, growth and yield of wheat

Wheat （Triticum aestivum） seeds were treated with atmospheric pressure gliding arc discharge plasmas to investigate the effects on water absorption, seed germination rate, seedling growth and yield in wheat. The surface architectures and functionalities of the seeds were found to modify due to plasma treatments. 6 rain treatment was provided 95%-100% germination rate. For the treatment duration of 3 and 9 rain the growth activity, dry matter accumulation, leaves chlorophyll contents, longest spikes, number of spikes/spikelet and total soluble protein content in shoots were improved. The grain yield of wheat was increased ,--20% by 6 min treatment with H2O/O2 plasma with respect to control.

Atmospheric Pressure Cold Argon/Oxygen Plasma Jet Assisted by Preionization of Syringe Needle Electrode

An atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium argon/oxygen plasma jet assisted by the preionization of syringe needle electrode discharge is reported. With the syringe needle plasma as its pre-ionization source, the hybrid barrier-jet was shown to generate uniform discharge with a lower breakdown voltage and a relatively low gas temperature varying from 390 K to 440 K, even when the vol.% oxygen in argon was up to 6%. Utilizing the actinometry method, the concentration of atomic oxygen was estimated to be about in an orders of magnitude of 10^17 cm^-3. The argon/oxygen plasma jet was then employed to clean out heat transfer oil, with a maximum cleaning rate of 0.1 mm/s achieved.

Study on an Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet and its Application in Etching Photo-Resistant Materials

An atmospheric pressure radio-frequency plasma jet that can eject cold plasma has been developed. In this paper, the configuration of this type of plasma jet is illustrated and its discharge characteristics curves are studied with a current and a voltage probe. A thermal couple is used to measure the temperature distribution along the axis of the jet stream. The temperature distribution curve is generated for the He/O-2 jet stream at the discharge power of 150 W. This jet can etch the photo-resistant material at an average rate of 100 nm/min on the surface of silicon wafers at a right angle.

Experimental Study on Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuator with Different Encapsulated Electrode Widths for Airflow Control at Atmospheric Pressure

The surface dielectric barrier discharge （SDBD） plasma actuator has shown great promise as an aerodynamic flow control device. In this paper, the encapsulated electrode width of a SDBD actuator is changed to study the airflow acceleration behavior. The effects of encapsulated electrode width on the actuator performance are experimentally investigated by measuring the dielectric layer surface potential, time-averaged ionic wind velocity and thrust force. Experimental results show that the airflow velocity and thrust force increase with the encapsulated electrode width. The results can be attributed to the distinct plasma distribution at different encapsulated electrode widths.

Kinetics Characteristics and Bremsstrahlung of Argon DC Discharge Under Atmospheric Pressure

An improved self-consistent, multi-component, and one-dimensional plasma model for simulating atmospheric pressure argon glow discharge is presented. In the model, both the plasma hydrodynamics model and chemical model are considered. The numerical simulation is carried out for parallel-plate geometry with a separation of 0.06 cm. The results show that Ar＊ plays a major role in the discharge, which is mainly produced by ground state excitation reaction. The electron temperature reaches its maximum in the cathode sheath but maintains a low value （0.23 eV） in bulk plasma. Elastic collision is the dominant volumetric electron energy loss in atmosphere argon glow discharge, which is negligible in low pressure argon glow discharge. The metastable step-wise ionization is the main mechanism for electron production to sustain the discharge. However, the highest contribution to electron production rate is ground state ionization reaction. The bremsstrahlung power density is related to electric voltage. With the increase of the electric voltage, the bremsstrahlung power density increases, namely, the strength of ultraviolet radiation spectrum enhances in the cathode sheath.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet in Ar and O_2/Ar Mixtures:Properties and High Performance for Surface Cleaning

An atmospheric pressure plasma jet generated in Ar and O2/Ar mixtures has been investigated by specially designed equipment with double power electrodes at 20~32 kHz, and their effects on the cleaning of surfaces have been studied. Properties of the jet discharge are studied by electrical diagnostics, including the waveform of discharge voltage, discharge current and the Q-V Lissajous figures. The optical emission spectroscopy is used to measure the plasma parameters, such as the excitation temperature and the gas temperature. It is found that the consumed power and the excitation temperature increase with increase of the discharge frequency. On the other hand, at the same discharge frequency, these parameters in O2/Ar mixture plasma are found to be much larger. The effect on surface cleaning is studied from the changes in the contact angle. For Ar plasma jet, the contact angle decreases with increase of the discharge frequency. For O2/Ar mixture plasma jet, the contact angle decreases with increase of discharge frequency up to 26 kHz, however, further increase of discharge frequency does not show further decrease in the contact angle. At the same discharge frequency, the contact angle after O2/Ar mixture plasma cleaning is found to be much lower compared to the case of pure Ar. From the results of quadrupole mass-spectrum analysis, we can identify more fragment molecules of CO and H2O in the emitted gases after O2/Ar plasma jet treatment compared with Ar plasma jet treatment, which are produced by the decomposition of surface organic contaminants during the cleaning process.

Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge in Air at Atmospheric Pressure

Dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） between two cylindrical glass containers with salt water generated by a nanosecond repetitively pulsed power generator is reported. The electrical parameters, luminous images and spectrum diagnosis are presented. It is shown that the DBD possesses a large discharge current and an intense optical emission from the nitrogen second positive system below 400 nm. The gas temperature remains very close to room temperature regardless of pulse polarity. Luminous photographs with a short exposure time down to 2 ns indicate that no filament is observed and the discharge is homogeneous.

In vitro study of nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma in improving the durability of the dentin–adhesive interface with an etch-and-rinse system

In this study, we employed a nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma(NTAPP) jet to evaluate the effect of plasma treatment on the durability of resin–dentin bonding under a thermocycling challenge. Furthermore, we assessed the degradation resistance of plasma-treated collagen under a sodium hypochlorite(NaClO) challenge. We assessed the beneficial effect of NTAPP treatment on the acid-etched dentin–bonding interface by testing the micro-tensile bond strength and examining the morphology. We found that the immediate bonding strength of the dentin significantly increased after NTAPP treatment. Compared with the control group, NTAPP resulted in a more prominent effect on the bonding durability of the dentin–adhesive interface after treatment for 5 or 10 s. Simultaneously, the mechanical strength of dentin collagen under the NaClO challenge was improved. Our results indicate that, in optimal conditions, NTAPP could be a promising method to protect dentin collagen and to improve the bonding durability between dentin and etch-and-rinse adhesives.

A two-dimensional air streamer discharge modified model based on artificial stability term under non-uniform electric field at low temperature and sub-atmospheric pressure

In this paper, an improved air discharge fluid model under non-uniform electric field is constructed based on the plasma module COMSOL Multiphysics with artificial stability term, and the boundary conditions developed in the previous paper are applied to the calculation of photoionization rate. Based on the modified model, the characteristics of low temperature subatmospheric air discharge under 13 kV direct current voltage are discussed, including needle-plate and needle-needle electrode structures. Firstly, in order to verify the reliability of the model, a numerical example and an experimental verification were carried out for the modified model respectively. Both verification results show that the model can ensure the accuracy and repeatability of the calculation. Secondly, according to the calculation results of the modified model, under the same voltage and spacing, the reduced electric field under low temperature subatmosphere pressure is larger than that under normal temperature and atmospheric pressure. The high electric field leads to the air discharge at low temperature and sub atmospheric pressure entering the streamer initiation stage earlier, and has a faster propagation speed in the streamer development stage, which shortens the overall discharge time. Finally, the discharge characteristics of the two electrode structures are compared, and it is found that the biggest difference between them is that there is a pre-ionization region near the cathode in the needle-needle electrode structure. When the pre-ionization level reaches 1013 cm-3, the propagation speed of the positive streamer remains unchanged throughout the discharge process, and is no longer affected by the negative streamer. The peak value of electric field decreases with the increase of pre-ionization level, and tends to be constant during streamer propagation. Based on the previous paper, this paper constructs the air discharge model under non-uniform electric field, complements with the previous paper, and forms a relatively complete set of air discharge simulation system under low temperature and sub atmospheric pressure, which provides a certain reference for future research.

Efficacy of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma as an Antibacterial Agent Against Enterococcus Faecalis in Vitro

Enterococcus faecalis （E. faecalis） is a microorganism that can survive extreme challenges in obturated root canals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma plume against E. faecalis in vitro. A non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet device which could generate a cold plasma plume carrying a peak current of 300 mA was used. The antibacterial efficacy of this device against E. faecalis and its biofihn un- der different conditions was detected. The antibacterial efficacy of the plasma against E. faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） was also evaluated. After plasma treatment, the average diameter of inhibition zone on S. aureus and E. faecalis was 2.62±0.26 cm and 1.06±0.30 cm, respectively （P 〈 0.05）. The diameter was increased with prolongation of the treatment dura- tion. The diameters of inhibition zone of the sealed Petri dishes were larger than those of the uncovered Petri dishes. There was significant difference in colony-forming units between plasma group and control group on E. faecalis biofilm （P 〈 0.01）. The transmission electron microscopy revealed that the ultrastructural changes eytoderm of E. faecalis were observed after treatment for 2min. It is concluded that the non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma could serve as an effective adjunct to standard endodontie microbial treatment.

Ion-ion reactions for charge reduction of biopolymer at atmospheric pressure ambient

Extractive electrospray ionization source （EESI） was adapted for ion-ion reaction, which was demonstrated by using a linear quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer for the first ion-ion reaction of biopolymers in the atmospheric pressure ambient.

Characteristics of a Normal Glow Discharge Excited by DC Voltage in Atmospheric Pressure Air

Atmospheric pressure glow discharges were generated in an air gap between a needle cathode and a water anode. Through changing the ballast resistor and gas gap width between the electrodes, it has been found that the discharges are in normal glow regime judged from the currentvoltage characteristics and visualization of the discharges. Results indicate that the diameter of the positive column increases with increasing discharge current or increasing gap width. Optical emission spectroscopy is used to calculate the electron temperature and vibrational temperature. Both the electron temperature and the vibrational temperature increases with increasing discharge current or increasing gap width. Spatially resolved measurements show that the maxima of electron temperature and vibrational temperature appeared in the vicinity of the needle cathode.