Current self-limitation in a transverse nanosecond discharge with a slotted cathode

A high-voltage transverse pulsed nanosecond discharge with a slotted hollow cathode was found to be a source of high-energy （few kV） ribbon electron beams. Conditions for the formation and extinction of electron beams were experimentally studied in discharges in helium at pressures of 1-100 Torr. It was found that interaction of fast electrons with a non-uniform electric field near the slotted cathode led to limitation of the magnitude of the discharge current. A physical model was developed to describe the discharge current self-limitation that was in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. Some technical solutions that are expected to increase the upper current limits in transverse nanosecond discharge are discussed.

Wind tunnel experiments on flow separation control of an Unmanned Air Vehicle by nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation

Plasma flow control（PFC） is a new kind of active flow control technology, which can improve the aerodynamic performances of aircrafts remarkably. The flow separation control of an unmanned air vehicle（UAV） by nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation（NDPAA） is investigated experimentally in this paper. Experimental results show that the applied voltages for both the nanosecond discharge and the millisecond discharge are nearly the same, but the current for nanosecond discharge（30 A） is much bigger than that for millisecond discharge（0.1 A）. The flow field induced by the NDPAA is similar to a shock wave upward, and has a maximal velocity of less than 0.5 m/s. Fast heating effect for nanosecond discharge induces shock waves in the quiescent air. The lasting time of the shock waves is about 80 μs and its spread velocity is nearly 380 m/s. By using the NDPAA, the flow separation on the suction side of the UAV can be totally suppressed and the critical stall angle of attack increases from 20° to 27° with a maximal lift coefficient increment of 11.24%. The flow separation can be suppressed when the discharge voltage is larger than the threshold value, and the optimum operation frequency for the NDPAA is the one which makes the Strouhal number equal one. The NDPAA is more effective than the millisecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation（MDPAA） in boundary layer flow control. The main mechanism for nanosecond discharge is shock effect. Shock effect is more effective in flow control than momentum effect in high speed flow control.

Kinetic effects of nanosecond discharge on ignition delay time

The effects of nanosecond discharge on ignition characteristics of a stoichiometric methane–air mixture without inert diluent gas were studied by numerical simulation at 0.1 MPa and an initial temperature of 1300 K. A modified non-equilibrium plasma kinetic model was developed to simulate the temporal evolution of particles produced during nanosecond discharge and its afterglow. As important roles in ignition, path fluxes of O and H radicals were analyzed in detail. Different strength of E/N and different discharge duration were applied to the discharge process in this study. And the results presented that a deposited energy of 1–30 m J·cm^(-3) could dramatically reduce the ignition delay time. Furthermore, temperature and radicals analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of non-equilibrium plasma on production of intermediate radicals. Finally, sensitivity analysis was employed to have further understanding on ignition chemistries of the mixture under nanosecond discharge.

Study of the Formation Conditions of Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticles in an Overstressed Nanosecond Discharge Between Aluminum Electrodes in a Mixture of Nitrogen and Oxygen

The results of the study of oscillograms of voltage,current,pulsed electric power and energy input into the plasma of an overstressed nanosecond discharge between aluminum electrodes in argon and mixtures of nitrogen with oxygen(100-1)at pressures in the range of 13.3-103.3 kPa are presented,the emission plasma spectra are studied.It is shown that in mixtures of nitrogen with oxygen at atmospheric pressure,nanoparticles of aluminum oxide(Al2O3)are formed,the luminescence of which manifests itself in the spectral range of 200-600 nm and which is associated with the formation of F-,F+-centers and more complex aggregate formations based on oxygen vacancies.Calculations of the electron-kinetic coefficients of plasma,transport characteristics,such as mean electron energies in the range 5.116-13.41 eV,are given.The electron concentration was 1.6∙10^(20)m^(-3)-1.1∙10^(20)m^(-3)at a current density of 5.1∙10^(6)A/m^(2)and l.02∙10^(7)A/m^(2)on the surface of the electrode of the radiation source(0.196·10^(-4)m^(2)).Also drift velocities,temperatures and concentrations of electrons,specific losses of the discharge power for elastic and inelastic processes of collisions of electrons per unit of the total concentration of the mixture from the reduced electric field strength(E/N)for a mixture of aluminum,nitrogen,oxygen,rate constants of collisions of electrons with aluminum atoms on the E/N parameter in plasma on a mixture of aluminum vapor,oxygen and nitrogen=30:1000:100000 Pa at a total mixture pressure of P=101030 Pa are given.

Experimental investigation of nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation

In this paper we report on an experimental study of the characteristics of nanosecond pulsed discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation. The N2 （C3IIu） rotational and vibrational temperatures are around 430 K and 0.24 eV, respectively. The emission intensity ratio between tile first negative system and the second positive system of N2, as a rough indicator of the temporally and spatially averaged electron energy, has a minor dependence on applied voltage amplitude. The induced flow direction is not parallel, but vertical to the dielectric layer surface, as shown by measurements of body force, velocity, and vorticity. Nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation is effective in airfoil flow separation control at freestream speeds up to 100 m/s.

A comparative study on the spectral characteristics of nanosecond pulsed discharges in atmospheric He and a He+2.3%H_(2)O mixture

Nanosecond pulsed discharges at atmospheric pressure in a pin-to-pin electrode configuration are well reproducible in time and space, which is beneficial to the fundamentals and applications of low-temperature plasmas. In this experiment, the discharges in helium(He) and He with 2.3%water vapor(H_(2)O) are driven by a series of 10 ns overvoltage pulses(~13 k V). Special attention is paid to the spectral characteristics obtained in the center of discharges by time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. It is found that in helium, the emission of atomic and molecular helium during the afterglow is more intense than that in the active discharge, while in the He+2.3%H_(2)O mixture, helium emission is only observed during the discharge pulse and the molecular helium emission disappears. In addition, the emissions of OH(A-X) and Hα present similar behavior that increases sharply during the falling edge of the voltage pulse as the electrons cool down rapidly. The gas temperature is set to remain low at 540 K by fitting the OH(A-X) band. A comparative study on the emission of radiative species(He, He_(2), OH and H)is performed between these two discharge cases to derive their main production mechanisms. In both cases, the dominant primary ion is He^(+) at the onset of discharges, but their He^(+) charge transfer processes are quite different. Based on these experimental data and a qualitative discussion on the discharge kinetics, with regard to the present discharge conditions, it is shown that the electron-assisted three-body recombination processes appear to be the significant sources of radiative OH and H species in high-density plasmas.

Neutrons in a nanosecond low-pressure discharge in deuterium

Stable neutron generation with a yield of ~1.2×10^(4) neutrons per pulse was obtained during d(d,n)^(3)He reaction initiated by the high-voltage nanosecond discharge in a gap with a potential tungsten cylinder(anode)and a grounded deuterated zirconium plate(cathode)filled with deuterium at a pressure of ~10^(2) Pa.Estimated duration of the neutron pulse was ~1.5 ns.Less intensive neutron emission was registered without deuterated plate.Splashing of material of the tungsten electrode was observed during the high-voltage nanosecond discharge in the deuterium,hydrogen,helium and argon at pressures of 10^(2)-10^(4) Pa.

Characteristics of Nanosecond Pulsed Discharges in Atmospheric Helium Microplasmas

Microplasmas are very interesting due to their unique properties and achievable regimes maintained at atmospheric pressures. Due to the small scales, numerical modeling could contribute to the understanding of underlying phenomena as it provides access to local parameters--and complements experimental global characteristics. A self-consistent formalism, applied to nanosecond pulsed atmospheric non-equilibrium helium plasmas, reveals that several successive discharges can persist as a result of a combined volume and dielectric surface effects. The valuable insights provided by the spatiotemporal simulation results show the critical importance of coupled gas and plasma dynamics--namely gas heating and electric field reversals.

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.

Effects of the transverse electric field on nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric airflow

In this paper,an asymmetric electrode geometry(the misalignment between the ends of highvoltage and grounded electrodes)is proposed in order to investigate the effects of the transverse electric field on nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge(DBD).The results show that diffuse discharge manifests in the misaligned region and the micro-discharge channel in the aligned region moves directionally.Moreover,the diffuse discharge area increases with the decrease of the discharge gap and pulse repetition frequency,which is consistent with the variation of the moving velocity of the micro-discharge channel.When airflow is introduced into the discharge gap in the same direction as the transverse electric field,the dense filamentary discharge region at the airflow inlet of asymmetric electrode geometry is larger than that of symmetric electrode geometry.However,when the direction of the airflow is opposite to that of the transverse electric field,the dense filamentary discharge region of asymmetric electrode geometry is reduced.The above phenomena are mainly attributed to the redistribution of the space charges induced by the transverse electric field.

Discharge characteristics and reactive species production of unipolar and bipolar nanosecond pulsed gas–liquid discharge generated in atmospheric N2

In this paper,unipolar pulse(including positive pulse and negative pulse)and bipolar pulse voltage are employed to generate diffuse gas–liquid discharge in atmospheric N2with a rumpetshaped quartz tube.The current–voltage waveforms,optical emission spectra of excited state active species,FTIR spectra of exhaust gas components,plasma gas temperature,and aqueous H2O2,NO2-,andNO3-production are compared in three pulse modes,meanwhile,the effects of pulse peak voltage and gas flow rate on the production of reactive species are studied.The results show that two obvious discharges occur in each voltage pulse in unipolar pulse driven discharge,differently,in bipolar pulse driven discharge,only one main discharge appears in a single voltage pulse time.The intensities of active species(OH(A),and O(3p))in all three pulsed discharge increase with the rise of pulse peak voltage and have the highest value at 200 ml min-1of gas flow rate.The absorbance intensities of NO2and N2O increase with the increase of pulse peak voltage and decrease with the increase of gas flow rate.Under the same discharge conditions,the bipolar pulse driven discharge shows lower breakdown voltage,and higher intensities of excited species(N2(C),OH(A),and O(3p)),nitrogen oxides(NO2,NO,and N2O),and higher production of aqueous H2O2,NO2-,andNO3-compared with both unipolar positive and negative discharges.

The dynamics of a nanosecond gas discharge development with an extended slot cathode in argon

The article presents the results of an experimental study and numerical modelling for the formation and development dynamics of a high-voltage transverse nanosecond discharge generated by a slot cathode in an argon medium at a pressure range of 1–10 Torr. Numerical modelling was carried out under similar experimental conditions for the processes of formation and propagation of ionisation waves, electron density distribution, excited atom and average electron energy in the discharge gap, including the cavity inside the cathode. At a pressure of p=1 Torr, a classical version of a high-voltage discharge is demonstrated to take place with no penetration of the plasma into the cathode cavity and no observed hollow cathode effect. An increase in gas pressure to 5 Torr leads to a penetration of plasma into the cathode cavity with the formation of a cathodic potential drop(CPD) region. Electrons emitted from the side surfaces of the cavity pass through the CPD region without collisions, oscillate inside the cathode cavity;the hollow cathode effect is fully manifested. At р=10 Torr, the modelling results qualitatively coincide with the results at р=5 Torr;in this case, however, hardly any accelerated electrons are observed in the gap between the electrodes, due to their energetic relaxation both inside the cathode cavity and when exiting from it. In both cases, the plasma structure formed at the exit of the cathode cavity involves a concentration of charged particles an order of magnitude higher than that in the rest of the gap, leading to a self-limiting discharge current effect. The results of the numerical modelling are in good agreement with experimental data.

Spectroscopic study of bipolar nanosecond pulse gas-liquid discharge in atmospheric argon

Atmospheric gas-liquid discharge with argon as a working gas is presented by employed nanosecond pulse power. The discharge is presented in a glow-like mode. The discharge powers are determined to be less than 1 W, and remains almost constant when the discharge duration time increases. Bountiful active species are determined by capturing optical emission spectra, and their main generation processes are also discussed. The plasma gas temperature is calculated as 350 K by comparing the experimental spectra and the simulated ones of N2（C3Ⅱg→B3Ⅱg, △v=-2）. The time resolved vibrational and rotational temperature is researched to present the stability of discharge when pulse voltage and discharge duration vary. The electron density is determined to be 1016 cm-3 according to the Stark broadening effect of the Ha line.

Effect of Airflows on Repetitive Nanosecond Volume Discharges

Atmospheric pressure discharges excited by repetitive nanosecond pulses have at- tracted significant attention for various applications. In this paper, a plate-plate discharge with airflows is excited by a repetitive nanosecond pulse generator. Under different experiment con- ditions, the applied voltages, discharge currents, and discharge images are recorded. The plasma images presented here indicate that the volume discharge modes vary with airflow speeds, anda diffuse and homogeneous volume discharge occurs at the speed of more than 35 m/s. The role of airflows provides different effects on the 2-stage pulse discharges. The 1st pulse currents nearly maintain consistency for different airflow speeds. However, the 2nd pulse current has a change trend of first decreasing and then rapidly increasing, and the value difference for 2nd pulse cur- rents is about 20 A under different airflows. In addition, the experimental results are discussed according to the electrical parameters and discharge images.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of nanosecond pulsed discharge in an extremely asymmetric electric field at atmospheric pressure

In this paper,high resolution temporal-spatial diagnostics are employed to research the optical characteristics of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in needle-plate electrode configuration.Temporal-spatial distributions of discharge images,the emission intensities of optical emission spectra,and plasma vibrational and rotational temperatures are investigated.By analyzing the evolution of vibrational and rotational temperatures in space and time dimensions,the energy distribution and energy transfer process in plasma are also discussed.It is found that a diffuse structure with high density plasma concentrated in the region near the needle tip can be presented in nanosecond pulsed discharge,and an obvious energy transfer from electronic energy to vibration energy can be observed in each discharge pulse.

Spatial characteristics of nanosecond pulsed micro-discharges in atmospheric pressure He/H2O mixture by optical emission spectroscopy

Atmospheric pressure micro-discharges in helium gas with a mixture of 0.5%water vapor between two pin electrodes are generated with nanosecond overvoltage pulses.The temporal and spatial characteristics of the discharges are investigated by means of time-resolved imaging and optical emission spectroscopy with respect to the discharge morphology,gas temperature,electron density,and excited species.The evolution of micro-discharges is captured by intensified CCD camera and electrical properties.The gas temperature is diagnosed by a two-temperature fit to the ro-vibrational OH(A^(2)Σ^(+)–X^П(2),0–0)emission band and is found to remain low at 425 K during the discharge pulses.The profile of electron density performed by the Stark broadening of Ha 656.1-nm and He I 667.8-nm lines is uniform across the discharge gap at the initial of discharge and reaches as high as 10^(23)m^(-3).The excited species of He,OH,and H show different spatio-temporal behaviors from each other by the measurement of their emission intensities,which are discussed qualitatively in regard of their plasma kinetics.

Volume added surface barrier discharge plasma excited by bipolar nanosecond pulse power in atmospheric air: optical emission spectra influenced by gap distance

In this paper, volume barrier discharge with different gap distances is added on the discharge border of high-voltage electrode of annular surface barrier discharge for generating volume added surface barrier discharge （V-SBD） excited by bipolar nanosecond high-voltage pulse power in atmospheric air. The excited V-SBDs consist of surface barrier discharge （d = 0 mm） and volume added surface barrier discharges （d = 2 mm and 3 mm）. The optical emission spectra are recorded for calculating emission intensities of N2 （C3 ∏u → B3∏g） and N2＋ （B2 ∑u＋ → X2 ∑g＋）, and simulating rotational and vibrational temperatures. The influences of gap distance of V-SBD on emission intensity and plasma temperature are also investigated and analyzed. The results show that d = 0 mm structure can excite the largest emission intensity of N2 （C3 ∏u → B3 ∏g）, while the existence of volume barrier discharge can delay the occurrence of the peak value of the emission intensity ratio of N2 ＋ （B2 ∑u＋ → X2 ∑＋g）/N2 （C3 ∏u → B3 ∏g） during the rising period of the applied voltage pulse and weaken it during the end period. The increasing factor of emission intensity is effected by the pulse repetition rate. The d = 3 mm structure has the highest threshold voltage while it can maintain more emission intensity of N2 （C3 ∏u→ B3∏g） than that of d = 2 mm structure. The structure of d = 2 mm can maintain more increasing factor than that of the d = 3 mm structure with varying pulse repetition rate. Besides, the rotational temperatures of three V-SBD structures are slightly affected when the gap distance and pulse repetition rate vary. The vibrational temperatures have decaying tendencies of all three structures with the increasing pulse repetition rate.

The Effect of the Quartz Tube on the Appearance of Nanosecond Pulsed Discharge in Air

An experimental investigation of a nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric air is presented. In the setup a quartz tube was inserted between the cone and plane electrodes in the direction parallel to the electric field. It was shown that the appearance and property of the discharge were sensitive to the size and the position of the quartz tube. When the tube was placed on the grounded plane electrode, the discharge intensity was found to improve gradually with the increase in the diameter of the quartz tube. Furthermore, with an appropriate distance between the bottom edge of the quartz tube and the plane electrode, the discharge tended to exhibit better performance in generating homogeneous diffusive plasma. The possible mechanism is discussed.

The Formation of Excited Molecules Chloride Argon, Chlorine and Hydroxyl Radicals in the Nanosecond Barrier Discharge

The results of an experimental study of radiation characteristics of a barrier discharge in a mixture ArCCl4 were presented in this paper. Formation of molecules ArCI（B） and CI2（D＇） in the barrier discharge plasma depends strongly on the partial pressure of freon vapor is shown. The intensity of the radiation band CI2（D＇-A＇） on the value of the pulse repetition rate current at a charging voltage Ua = 13 kV was close to the line that indicates the possibility of increasing the average power of the VUV-UV discharge at frequencies f〉1 kHz.

Simulations and Measurement of Electron Energy and Effective Electron Temperature of Nanosecond Pulsed Argon Plasma

The behavior of argon plasma driven by nanosecond pulsed plasma in a low-pressure plasma reactor is investigated using a global model, and the results are compared with the experimental measurements. The time evolution of plasma density and the electron energy probability function are calculated by solving the energy balance and Boltzmann equations. During and shortly after the discharge pulse, the electron energy probability function can be represented by a bi-Maxwellian distribution, indicating two energy groups of electrons. According to the effective electron temperature calculation, we find that there are more high-energy electrons that play an important role in the excitation and ionization processes than low-energy electrons. The effective electron temperature is also measured via optical emission spectroscopy to evaluate the simulation model. In the comparison, the simulation results are found to be in agreement with the measure- ments. Furthermore, variations of the effective electron temperature are presented versus other discharge parameters, such as pulse width time, pulse rise time and gas pressure.