Argon plume transition from a hollow swell to a diffuse swell with increasing amplitude of a trapezoidal voltage

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets can generate a remote plasma plume, which usually presents a conical or cylindrical morphology. Despite a few morphologies being observed, efforts should be made to obtain more plume structures because streamer dynamics may be revealed from them. For this purpose, an argon plasma plume excited by a trapezoidal voltage is investigated, which presents two kinds of swells (a hollow swell and a diffuse swell) with increasing voltage amplitude (V_p). The results indicate that there are two positive discharges (D_p1 and D_p2) and one negative discharge (D_n) per voltage cycle for both of the swells. With increasing Vp, the inception voltage and discharge intensity increase for every positive discharge, while they decrease for the negative discharge. Fast photography reveals that the positive streamer (D_p2) leaves different tracks in the two swells, which are curved in the hollow swell and randomly branched in the diffuse swell. The different tracks of D_p2 are explained with the consideration of applied field strength and residual positive ions of D_p1. The existence of residual positive ions is finally verified from optical emission spectra.     

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.     

直流激励均匀氩气等离子体羽的脉冲特性

为研究大气压氩气等离子体羽的脉冲放电特性及其放电机理,以氩气为工作气体,在大气压空气环境中,利用直流激励的等离子体喷枪产生了圆锥形均匀的等离子体羽。等离子体羽长度随气流的增大而增大,但几乎不随两电极间维持电压的变化而变化。通过对两电极间维持电压、放电电流、放电发光信号的时间演化图分析,发现尽管维持电压是恒定的,放电电流和放电发光表现为周期性的脉冲。放电脉冲频率随维持电压的增大而增大,且随两电极间距离的增大而减小。对不同位置的发光信号时间演化进行研究,表明这种脉冲等离子体羽与常见的持续模式和子弹模式不同,其放电在不同的空间位置几乎是同时产生的,但是放电的熄灭却沿远离喷嘴的方向依次推迟。     

大气压刷形等离子体羽的放电特性

为了研究大气压刷形等离子体羽的放电特性,利用针-针直流放电系统,通过氩气的流动,在大气压空气中获得了稳定的较大体积的刷形等离子体羽,发现等离子体羽长度随电源输出功率的增大而增大。通过研究不同电源输出功率下放电电压、放电电流和发光信号相对光强的时间演化,发现了放电存在自脉冲现象,且自脉冲频率随电源输出功率增大而减小,随气体体积流量增大而增大。通过对等离子体羽发光信号进行空间分辨测量,研究了自脉冲形成机制,发现电压达到击穿电压后放电首先在电极间产生,随后电极间的等离子体沿着气流移动,且随移动距离增加而衰减,因此刷形等离子体羽即为吹出喷嘴后衰减中的等离子体。采用光谱学方法,对分子转动温度、振动温度和谱线相对光强比(I391.4/I337.1)进行了空间分辨测量,发现这些参数均沿气流方向降低。     

Influence of Ionization Degrees on Conversion of CO and CO_2 in Atmospheric Plasma near the Ground

A zero-dimensional model is used to study the processes of physical and chemical reactions in atmospheric plasma with different ionization degrees near the ground （0 km）. The temporal evolutions of CO, C02 and other main reactants （namely OH and O2）, which affect the conversion of CO and C02, are obtained for afterglow plasma with different initial values. The results show that the consumption rate of CO is largest when the initiM electron number density neo=1012 cm-3, i.e. the ionization degree is 0.000004%. The number density of CO2 is relatively small when neo=1016 cm-3, i.e. the ionization degree is 0.04%, whereas they are very close under the condition of other ionization degrees. Considering the total number densities of CO and C02 and the consumption rate of CO comprehensively, the best condition is neo=1013 cm-3, i.e. the ionization degree is 0.00004% for reducing the densities of CO and CO2 in the atmospheric plasma. The temporal evolutions of N＋, Ar＋, CO＋ and CO＋ are also shown, and the influences on the temporal evolutions of CO and C02 are analyzed with increasing ionization degree.     

Influence of Ionization Degrees on the Evolutions of Charged Particles in Atmospheric Plasma at Low Altitude

A zero-dimensional model which includes 56 species of reactants and 427 reactions is used to study the behavior of charged particles in atmospheric plasmas with different ionization degrees at low altitude (near 0 km).The constant coefficient nonlinear equations are solved by using the Quasi-steady-state approximation method.The electron lifetimes are obtained for afterglow plasma with different initial values,and the temporal evolutions of the main charged species are presented,which are dominant in reaction processes.The results show that the electron number density decays quickly.The lifetimes of electrons are shortened by about two orders with increasing ionization degree.Electrons then attach to neutral particles and produce negative ions.When the initial electron densities are in the range of 1010～1014cm3,the negative ions have sufficiently high densities and long lifetimes for air purification,disinfection and sterilization.Electrons,O2,O4,CO4 and CO3 are the dominant negative species when the initial electron density ne0≤1013cm3,and only electrons and CO3 are left when ne0≥1015cm3.N+2,N+4 and O+2 are dominant in the positive charges for any ionization degree.Other positive species,such as O+4,N+3,NO+,NO+2,Ar+2 and H3O+ · H2O,are dominant only for a certain ionization degree and in a certain period.     

微间隙大气压空气介质阻挡放电模式的转化

大气压空气中介质阻挡均匀放电产生的等离子体在工业领域具有广阔的应用前景。为研究这种放电的产生条件及机理,利用微间隙介质阻挡放电装置,通过测量放电参数和发射光谱,研究了放电模式的转化过程。结果表明:低电压时电流波形每半个周期存在若干个脉冲宽度很小的脉冲,为微放电丝模式;随着电压增加,电流每半个周期出现了一个宽度较大(约5.5μs)强度较强的脉冲,该较宽电流脉冲上随机叠加了宽度小(约100 ns)强度弱的小脉冲;外加电压峰值达到9.2 kV时,电流波形只存在该较宽放电脉冲,为均匀放电模式。放电发射光谱的研究表明:外加电压增加时谱线强度比降低,即高能电子比例减小。这说明随外加电压增加,微气隙中的放电电场强度是降低的。     

常压空气中大间隙介质阻挡放电特性

常压空气中大间隙介质阻挡放电是一种低成本的等离子体产生方法。为此,研究了采用针-板介质阻挡放电(DBD)装置和光电倍增管对常压空气中大间隙介质阻挡放电的特性。结果表明,随着外加电压的变化,存在电晕放电和等离子体羽放电2种放电模式。电晕放电发生在针尖处很小的区域,而等离子体羽放电发生在针-板电极间的较大区域,且等离子体羽长度随外加电压呈阶段性变化。对等离子体羽不同位置的发光信号进行了空间分辨测量,发现针尖附近为连续放电,而远离针尖处为等离子体子弹放电。每次放电等离子体长度随电压峰值的增长关系与每个脉冲的起始电压随外加电压峰值的变化关系一致。