Performance of pulsed plasma thruster at low discharge energy

As the size of satellites scales down, low-power and compact propulsion systems such as the pulsed plasma thruster(PPT) are needed for stabilizing these miniature satellites in orbit. Most PPT systems are operated at 2 J or more of discharge energy. In this work, the performance of a PPT with a side-fed, tongue-flared electrode configuration operated within a lower discharge energy range of 0.5-2.5 J has been investigated. Ablation and charring of the polytetrafluoroethylene propellant surface were analyzed through field-effect scanning electron microscopy imaging and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. When the discharge energy fell below 2 J, inconsistencies occurred in the specific impulse and the thrust efficiency due to the measurement of the low mass bit. At energy ≥2 J, the performance parameters are compared with other PPT systems of similar configuration and discussed in depth.

Surface charge characteristics in a three-electrode surface dielectric barrier discharge

The surface charge characteristics in a three-electrode surface dielectric barrier discharge(SDBD)are experimentally investigated based on the Pockels effect of an electro-optical crystal. The actuator is based on the most commonly used SDBD structure for airflow control, with an exposed electrode supplied with sinusoidal AC high voltage, a grounded encapsulated electrode and an additional exposed electrode downstream supplied with DC voltage. The ionic wind velocity and thrust can be significantly improved by increasing DC voltage although the plasma discharge characteristics are virtually unaffected. It is found that the negative charges generated by the discharge of the three-electrode structure accumulate on the dielectric surface significantly further downstream in an AC period compared to the actuator with a two-electrode structure. The negative charges in the downstream region increase as the DC voltage increases.In addition, the DC voltage affects the time required for the positive charge filaments to decay.The positive DC voltage expands the ionic acceleration zone downstream to produce a greater EHD force. The amplitude of the DC voltage affects the electric field on the dielectric surface and is therefore a key factor in the formation of the EHD force. Further research on the surface charge characteristics of a three-electrode structure has been conducted using a pulse power to drive the discharge, and the same conclusions are drawn. This work demonstrates a link between surface charge characteristics and EHD performance of a three-electrode SDBD actuator.

Formation mechanism of bright and dark concentric-ring pattern in dielectric barrier discharge

In this work,a bright and dark concentric-ring pattern is reported in a dielectric barrier discharge for the first time.The spatiotemporal dynamics of the bright and dark concentric-ring pattern are investigated with an intensified charge-coupled device and photomultiplier tubes.The results indicate that the bright and dark concentric-ring pattern is composed of three concentric-ring sublattices.These are bright concentric-ring structures,dark concentric-ring structures and wider concentric-ring structures,respectively.The bright concentric-ring structures and dark concentricring structures are alternately distributed.The bright concentric-ring structures are located at the centre of the wider concentric-ring structures.The wider concentric-ring structures first form from the outer edge and gradually develop to the centre.The essence of all three concentric-ring structures is the individual discharge filaments.The optical emission spectra of different sublattices are acquired and analysed.It is found that the plasma parameters of the three concentricring sublattices are different.Finally,the formation mechanism of the bright and dark concentricring pattern is discussed.

Discharge mode and particle transport in radio frequency capacitively coupled Ar/O_(2) plasma discharges

Simulations are conducted on capacitively coupled Ar/O_(2)mixed gas discharges employing a one-dimensional fluid coupled with an electron Monte Carlo(MC)model.The research explores the impact of different O_(2)ratio and pressures on the discharge characteristics of Ar/O_(2)plasma.At a fixed Ar/O_(2)gas ratio,with the increasing pressure,higher ion densities,as well as a slight increase in electron density in the bulk region can be observed.The discharge remains dominated by the drift-ambipolar(DA)mode,and the flux of O(3P)at the electrode increases with the increasing pressure due to higher background gas density,while the fluxes of O(1D)and Ardecrease due to the pronounced loss rate.With the increasing proportion of O_(2),a change in the dominant discharge mode from a mode to DA mode can be detected,and the O_(2)-associated charged particle densities are significantly increased.However,Ar+density shows a trend of increasing and then decreasing,while for neutral fluxes at the electrode,Arflux decreases,and O(3P)flux increases with the reduced Ar gas proportion,while trends in O(1D)flux show slight differences.The evolution of the densities of the charged particle and the neutral fluxes under different discharge parameters are discussed in detail using the ionization characteristics as well as the transport properties.Hopefully,more comprehensive understanding of Ar/O_(2)discharge characteristics in this work will provide a valuable reference for the industry.

Simulation of the spatio-temporal evolution of the electron energy distribution function in a pulsed hollow-cathode discharge

This article presents the 2D simulation results of a nanosecond pulsed hollow cathode discharge obtained through a combination of fluid and kinetic models.The spatio-temporal evolution of the electron energy distribution function(EEDF)of the plasma column and electrical characteristics of the nanosecond pulsed hollow cathode discharge at a gas pressure of 5 Torr are studied.The results show that the discharge development starts with the formation of an ionization front at the anode surface.The ionization front splits into two parts in the cathode cavity while propagating along its lateral surfaces.The ionization front formation leads to an increase in the fast isotropic EEDF component at its front,as well as in the anisotropic EEDF component.The accelerated electrons enter the cathode cavity,which significantly contributes to the formation of the highenergy EEDF component and EEDF anisotropy.

Improvement in discharge characteristics and energy yield of ozone generation via configuration optimization of a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been widely employed in ozone generation.However,the technology still exhibits relatively low energy yield (E_(Y)) referring to its theoretical value.In this work,E_(Y)of ozone generation was improved by optimizing the mesh number,electrode length,and dielectric material in a coaxial DBD reactor with two wire mesh electrodes.Meanwhile,the discharge characteristics were investigated to elucidate the effect of reactor configuration on E_(Y).Results showed that the discharge characteristics were improved by increasing the mesh number,electrode length,and relative permittivity.When the mesh number was increased from 40 to 100,an improvement of approximately 48%in E_(Y) was obtained.Additionally,higher E_(Y) values were obtained using corundum as the dielectric material relative to polytetrafluoroethylene and quartz.Ultimately,E_(Y) in the optimal DBD reactor could reach 326.77 g·(k W·h)^(-1).Compared with the reported DBD reactor,the coaxial DBD reactor with the mesh electrode and the dielectric material of corundum could effectively improve E_(Y),which lays a foundation for the design of high-efficiency coaxial DBD reactor.

Simulation analysis on microscopic discharge characteristics of the bipolar corona of a floating conductor

A floating conductor exhibits a bipolar corona phenomenon with microscopic discharge characteristics that are still unclear.In this study,a plasma simulation model of the bipolar corona with 108 chemical reaction equations is established by combining hydrodynamics and plasma chemical reactions.The evolution characteristics of electrons,positive ions,negative ions and neutral particles,as well as the distribution characteristics of space charges are analyzed,and the evolutionary flow of microscopic particles is summarized.The results indicate that the positive end of the bipolar corona initiates discharge before the negative end,but the plasma chemistry at the negative end is more vigorous.The electron generation rate can reach 1240 mol(m^(3) s)^(-1),and the dissipation rate can reach 34 mol(m^(3) s)^(-1).The positive ion swarm is dominated by O_(4)^(+),and the maximum generation rate can reach 440 mol((m^(3) s)^(-1).The negative ion swarm is mainly O_(2) and O_(4).The O_(2) content is approximately 1.5-3 times that of O_(4),and the maximum reaction rate can reach 51 mol(m^(3) s)^(-1).The final destination of neutral particles is an accumulation in the form of O_(3) and NO,and the amount of O3 produced is approximately 4-6 times that of NO.The positive end of the bipolar corona is dominated by positive space charges,which continue to develop and spread outwards in the form of a pulse wave.The negative end exhibits a space charge distribution structure of concentrated positive charges and diffused negative charges.The validity of the microscopic simulation analysis is verified by the macroscopic discharge phenomenon.

TREATMENT OF METALS, POLYMER FILMS, AND FABRICS WITHA ONE ATMOSPHERE UNIFORM GLOW DISCHARGE PLASMA(OAUGDP) FOR INCREASED SURFACE ENERGY AND DIRECTIONAL ETCHING

Direct exposure of samples to the active species of air generated by a One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP) has been used to etch and to increase the surface energy of metallic surfaces, photoresist, polymer films, and nonwoven fab- rics. The OAUGDP is a non-thermal plasma with the classical characteristics of a DC normal glow discharge that operates in air (and other gases) at atmospheric pres- sure. Neither a vacuum system nor batch processing is necessary. A wide range of applications to metals, photoresist, films, fabrics, and polymeric webs can be accom- modated by direct exposure of the workpiece to the plasma in parallel-plate reactors. This technolopy is simple, it produces effects that can be obtained in no other way at one atmosphere; it generates minimal pollutants or unwanted by-products; and it is suitable for individual sample or online treatment of metallic surfaces, wafers, films, and fabrics. Early exposures of solid materials to the OAUGDP required minutes to produce rela- tively small increases of surface energy. These durations appeared too long for com- mercial application to fast-moving webs. Recent improvements in OAUGDP gas com- position, power density, plasma quality, recireulating gas flow, and impedance match- ing of the power supply to the parallel plate plasma reactor have made it possible to raise the surface energy of a variety of polymeric webs (PP, PET PE etc.) to levels of 60 to 70 dynes/cm with one second of exposure. In air plasmas, the high surface ener- gies are not durable, and fall to 50 dynes/cm after periods of weeks to months. Here, we report the exposure of metallic surfaces, photoresist, polymeric films, and nonwo- ven fabrics made of PP and PET to an impedance matched parallel plate OAUGDP for durations ranging from one second to several tens of seconds. Data will be re- ported on the surface energy, wettability, wickability, and aging effect of polymeric films and fabrics as functions of time of exposure, and time after exposure; the rate and uniformity of photoresist etching; and the production of sub-micron structures by OAUGDP etching at one atmosphere.

Local electron mean energy profile of positive primary streamer discharge with pin-plate electrodes in oxygen nitrogen mixtures

Local electron mean energy （LEME） has a direct effect on the rates of collisional ionization of molecules and atoms by electrons. Electron-impact ionization plays an important role and is the main process for the production of charged particles in a primary streamer discharge. Detailed research on the LEME profile in a primary streamer discharge is extremely important for a comprehensive understanding of the local physical mechanism of a streamer. In this study, the LEME profile of the primary streamer discharge in oxygen-nitrogen mixtures with a pin-plate gap of 0.5 cm under an impulse voltage is investigated using a fluid model. The fluid model includes the electron mean energy density equation, as well as continuity equations for electrons and ions and Poisson＇s electric field equation. The study finds that, except in the initial stage of the primary streamer, the LEME in the primary streamer tip tends to increase as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure decreases. When the primary streamer bridges the gap, the LEME in the primary streamer channel is smaller than the first ionization energies of oxygen and nitrogen. The LEME in the primary streamer channel then decreases as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure increases. The LEME in the primary streamer tip is primarily dependent on the reduced electric field with mole ratios of oxygen-nitrogen given in the oxygen-nitrogen mixtures.

Electric ignition energy evaluation and the energy distribution structure of energy released in electrostatic discharge process

Ignition energy is one of tbe important parameters of flammable materials, and evaluating ignition energy precisely is essential to the safety of process industry and combustion science and technology. By using electric spark discharge test system, a series of electric spark discharge experiments were conducted with the capacitor-stored energy in the range of 10 J, 100 J, and 1000 J, respectively. The evaluation method for energy consumed by electric spark, wire, and switch during capacitor discharge process has been studied respectively. The resistance of wire, switch, and plasma between electrodes has been evaluated by different methods and an optimized evaluation method has been obtained. The electric energy consumed by wire, electric switch, and electric spark-induced plasma between electrodes were obtained and the energy structure of capacitor-released energy was analyzed. The dynamic process and the characteristic parameters （the maximum power, duration of discharge process） of electric spark discharge process have been analyzed. Experimental results showed that, electric spark-consumed energy only accounts for 8%-14% of the capacitor-released energy. With the increase of capacitor-released energy, the duration of discharge process becomes longer, and the energy of plasma accounts for more in the capacitor-released energy. The power of electric spark varies with time as a damped sinusoids function and the period and the maximum value increase with the capacitor-released energy.

Improving energy utilization efficiency of electrical discharge milling in titanium alloys machining

Electrical discharge milling(ED-milling) can be a good choice for titanium alloys machining and it was proven that its machining efficiency can be improved to compete with mechanical cutting. In order to improve energy utilization efficiency of ED-milling process, unstable arc discharge and stable arc discharge combined with normal discharge were implemented for material removal by adjusting servo control strategy. The influence of electrode rotating speed and dielectric flushing pressure on machining performance was investigated by experiments. It was found that the rotating of electrode could move the position of discharge plasma channel, and high pressure flushing could wash melted debris out the discharge gap effectively. Both electrode rotating motion and high pressure flushing are contributed to the improvement of machining efficiency.

On the energy conservation electrostatic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo simulation: Benchmark and application to the radio frequency discharges

We benchmark and analyze the error of energy conservation （EC） scheme in particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo （PIC/MC） algorithms by simulating the radio frequency discharge. The plasma heating behaviors and electron distributing functions obtained by one-dimensional （1D） simulation are analyzed. Both explicit and implicit algorithms are checked. The results showed that the EC scheme can eliminated the self-heating with wide grid spacing in both cases with a small reduction of the accuracies. In typical parameters, the EC implicit scheme has higher precision than EC explicit scheme. Some ＂numerical cooling＂ behaviors are observed and analyzed. Some other errors are also analyzed. The analysis showed that the EC implicit scheme can be used to qualitative estimation of some discharge problems with much less computational resource cost without much loss of accuracies.

3D Carbon Frameworks for Ultrafast Charge/Discharge Rate Supercapacitors with High Energy‑Power Density

Carbon-based electric double layer capacitors(EDLCs)hold tremendous potentials due to their high-power performance and excellent cycle stability.However,the practical use of EDLCs is limited by the low energy density in aqueous electrolyte and sluggish diffusion kinetics in organic or/and ionic liquids electrolyte.Herein,3D carbon frameworks(3DCFs)constructed by interconnected nanocages(10-20 nm)with an ultrathin wall of ca.2 nm have been fabricated,which possess high specific surface area,hierarchical porosity and good conductive network.After deoxidization,the deoxidized 3DCF(3DCFDO)exhibits a record low IR drop of 0.064 V at 100 A g^−1 and ultrafast charge/discharge rate up to 10 V s^−1.The related device can be charged up to 77.4%of its maximum capacitance in 0.65 s at 100 A g^−1 in 6 M KOH.It has been found that the 3DCF-DO has a great affinity to EMIMBF4,resulting in a high specific capacitance of 174 F g^−1 at 1 A g^−1,and a high energy density of 34 Wh kg^−1 at an ultrahigh power density of 150 kW kg^−1 at 4 V after a fast charge in 1.11 s.This work provides a facile fabrication of novel 3D carbon frameworks for supercapacitors with ultrafast charge/discharge rate and high energy-power density.

Equation of Energy Injection to a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor

The electric energy injection from a pulsed power supply to a planar type of dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） reactor at atmospheric pressure was studied. Relations of the energy injection with barrier materials, barrier thickness, peak voltage, gap distance, electrode area,and operation temperature were experimentally investigated. The energy injection is a function of relative permittivity, barrier thickness, peak voltage, gap distance, and electrode area. The influence of operation temperature on energy injection is slight in the range of 27-300℃ but becomes obvious in the range of 300-500℃. A model was established using which the energy injection can be easily predicted.

Comparison Between Thermally Stimulated Discharge Method and Photo-stimulated Discharge Method for Measuring Space Charge Traps Energy

The space charge behavior of a dielectric under HVDC is influenced by the charge trap energy distribution in it. Hence, we in- vestigated the charge trap distributions in several kinds of typical polymer materials using thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) and photo-stimulated discharge (PSD) methods, respectively. The experimental results show that,there is a significant difference between the trap energy distributions obtained by the two methods, but the difference decreases with the increase of the melting point of polymers. This is attributed to the change of the trap center environment during TSD caused by the increasing movements of both main chains and branched chains in polymers. PSD method is more accurate for investigating charge trap distribution in dielectrics, especially for polymers with low melting points.

Theoretical analysis of ion kinetic energies and DLC film deposition by CH4＋ Ar （He） dielectric barrier discharge plasmas

The kinetic energy of ions in dielectric barrier discharge plasmas are analysed theoretically using the model of binary collisions between ions and gas molecules. Langevin equation for ions in other gases, Blanc law for ions in mixed gases, and the two-temperature model for ions at higher reduced field are used to determine the ion mobility. The kinetic energies of ions in CH4 ＋ Ar（He） dielectric barrier discharge plasma at a fixed total gas pressure and various Ar （He） concentrations are calculated. It is found that with increasing Ar （He） concentration in CH4 ＋ Ar （He） from 20% to 83%, the CH4＋ kinetic energy increases from 69.6 （43.9） to 92.1 （128.5）eV, while the Ar＋ （He＋） kinetic energy decreases from 97 （145.2） to 78.8 （75.5）eV. The increase of CH4＋ kinetic energy is responsible for the increase of hardness of diamond-like carbon films deposited by CH4 ＋ Ar （He） dielectric barrier discharge without bias voltage over substrates.

Direct Measurements of the Electron Energy Flux versus Electron Temperature Gradient in Tokamak Discharges

Electron thermal transport is one of the most complex processes in fusionplasmas. It is generally described by a simple thermal diffusivity in transport analyses ofdischarges, but there is evidence of critical gradient effects with moderate stiffness. By analyzingperiodic perturbations to an equilibrium, one canmeasure the variations in electron energy flux andelectron temperature gradient over the perturbation cycle, obtaining the flux as a function ofgradient over the range of parameters generated by the perturbation. Although time-dependenttransport analysis is very sensitive to noise in the input data, averaging over many cycles of aperiodic perturbation can provide data of sufficient quality. The analyses presented here are basedon the ECE temperature data with high spatial and temporal resolution and full profile coverage onDIII-D for sawteeth and modulated ECH heating.

Experiment Study on the Ending Criteria of Charge and Discharge of Nickel-Hydride Battery

Charge and discharge characteristics of Ni/MH batteries are investigated with experiments. During battery’s working, the voltage, capacity, temperature and internal resistance were recorded, corresponding curves were depicted. Variations of the aforementioned four parameters are differently obvious. Ending criteria of charge and discharge of Ni/MH batteries are discussed on the basis of the curves. Voltage, capacity and temperature of a battery can be used as ending criteria during charge. When discharge takes place, voltage, capacity and internal resistance can be chosen as ending criteria. As a whole, capacity is more suitable for being used as ending criteria of charge and discharge than the other three parameters. At last, the capacity of a battery is recommended to be ending criteria of charge and discharge. The conclusions will provide references to different capacity Ni/MH batteries for electric vehicles.

Effect of gas pressure on ion energy at substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency and very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering discharge

The effect of gas pressure on ion energy distribution at the substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency(RF)and very-high-frequency(VHF)magnetron sputtering discharge was investigated.At lower pressure,the evolution of maximum ion energy(E)with discharge voltage(V)varied with the excitation frequency,due to the joint contribution of the ion generation in the bulk plasma and the ion movement across the sheath related to the ion transit sheath timeτiand RF periodτRF.At higher pressure,the evolution of E–V relationships did not vary with the excitation frequency,due to the balance between the energy lost through collisions and the energy gained by acceleration in the electric field.Therefore,for RF and VHF magnetron discharge,lower gas pressure can have a clear influence on the E–V relationship.

Extraction of Partial Discharge Acoustic Signal by Wavelet Transform with Teager′s Energy Operator

To develop a measurement system for monitoring partial discharge （PD） without the effect of external interferences,an algorithm of PD signal extraction based on wavelet transform with Teager＇s energy operators was presented. Acoustic signal generated by PD was selected to remove excessive interfering signals and electromagnetic interferences. Acoustic signals were collected and decomposed into I0 levels by wavelet transform into approximation and detail components. “Daubechies 25” was proved to be the most suitable mother wavelet for the extraction of PD acoustic signals. Compared with conventional wavelet denoising method, Teager＇s energy operators were adopted to the PD signal reconstruction and the signal to noise ratio was in creased by 20%-25% inthe experiment,without lost in energy and pulse amplitude.