Investigation on discharge characteristics of a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor driven by AC and ns power sources

A coaxial dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) reactor with double layer dielectric barriers has been developed for exhaust gas treatment and excited either by AC power or nanosecond(ns)pulse to generate atmospheric pressure plasma. The comparative study on the discharge characteristics of the discharge uniformity, power deposition, energy efficiency, and operation temperature between AC and ns pulsed coaxial DBD is carried out in terms of optical and electrical characteristics and operation temperature for optimizing the coaxial DBD reactor performance. The voltages across the air gap and dielectric layer and the conduction and displacement currents are extracted from the applied voltages and measured currents of AC and ns pulsed coaxial DBDs for the calculation of the power depositions and energy efficiencies through an equivalent electrical model. The discharge uniformity and operating temperature of the coaxial DBD reactor are monitored and analyzed by optical images and infrared camera. A heat conduction model is used to calculate the temperature of the internal quartz tube. It is found that the ns pulsed coaxial DBD has a much higher instantaneous power deposition in plasma, a lower total power consumption, and a higher energy efficiency compared with that excited by AC power and is more homogeneous and stable. The temperature of the outside wall of the AC and ns pulse excited coaxial DBD reaches 158 ℃ and 64.3 ℃ after 900 s operation, respectively.The experimental results on the comparison of the discharge characteristics of coaxial DBDs excited by different powers are significant for understanding of the mechanism of DBDs,reducing energy loss, and optimizing the performance of coaxial DBD in industrial applications.     

Investigation on the streamer propagation in atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet by the capacitive probe

In this letter, the streamer propagation in the atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet with afloating electrode nozzle driven by the kHz AC power supply is investigated. The current signal induced by the space charges and the mean propagation velocity of the guided ionization waves are measured by the capacitive probe method in the discharge region. The space charges in the guided ionization waves are found to increase with the applied voltage, which enhances both the electric field near the streamer head and the propagation velocity. The applicability of the streamer mechanism to the propagation of the guided ionization waves is validated by this electrical diagnostic method.     

Plasma characteristics of direct current enhanced cylindrical inductively coupled plasma source

Experimental results of a direct current enhanced inductively coupled plasma (DCE-ICP) source which consists of a typical cylindrical ICP source and a plate-to-grid DC electrode are reported.With the use of this new source,the plasma characteristic parameters,namely,electron density,electron temperature and plasma uniformity,are measured by Langmuir floating double probe.It is found that DC discharge enhances the electron density and decreases the electron temperature,dramatically.Moreover,the plasma uniformity is obviously improved with the operation of DC and radio frequency (RF) hybrid discharge.Furthermore,the nonlinear enhancement effect of electron density with DC + RF hybrid discharge is confirmed.The presented observation indicates that the DCE-ICP source provides an effective method to obtain high-density uniform plasma,which is desirable for practical industrial applications.     

Measurement ofHe2* density with an auxiliary measuring electrode in atmospheric pressure plasma jet

In this study, the density of metastable He₂* in an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet operating in helium with 0.001% nitrogen has been measured using an auxiliary measuring electrode technique. In the glow discharge mode, waveforms from two grounding electrodes, including one main discharge electrode and one auxiliary electrode, are captured. The isolated current peak formed by Penning ionization in waveforms from the auxiliary measuring electrode is identified to calculate the density of metastable He₂*. In our discharge environment, the helium metastable densities along the jet axis direction are between 2.26× 10¹³ and 1.74× 10¹³ cm^-3, which is in good agreement with the results measured by other techniques. This measurement technique can be conveniently applied to the diagnosis of metastableHe₂* in an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet array.     

The Effect of Gas Flow Rate on Radio-Frequency Hollow Cathode Discharge Characteristics

It is known that gas flow rate is a key factor in controlling industrial plasma processing. In this paper, a 2D PIC/MCC model is developed for an rf hollow cathode discharge with an axial nitrogen gas flow. The effects of the gas flow rate on the plasma parameters are calculated and the results show that： with an increasing flow rate, the total ion（N＋2, N＋） density decreases, the mean sheath thickness becomes wider, the radial electric field in the sheath and the axial electric field show an increase, and the energies of both kinds of nitrogen ions increase;and, as the axial ion current density that is moving toward the ground electrode increases, the ion current density near the ground electrode increases. The simulation results will provide a useful reference for plasma jet technology involving rf hollow cathode discharges in N2.     

Effects of discharge parameters on the micro-hollow cathode sustained glow discharge

The effects of parameters such as pressure, first anode radius, and the cavity diameter on the micro-hollow cathode sustained glow discharge are investigated by using a two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model in pure argon. The results indicate that the three parameters influence the discharge in the regions inside and outside of the cavity. Under a fixed voltage on each electrode, a larger volume of high density plasma can be produced in the region between the first and the second anodes by selecting the appropriate pressure, the higher first anode, and the appropriate cavity diameter. As the pressure increases, the electron density inside the hollow cathode, the high density plasma volume between the first anode and second anodes, and the radial electric field in the cathode cavity initially increase and subsequently decrease. As the cavity diameter increases, the high-density plasma volume between the first and second anodes initially increases and subsequently decreases; whereas the electron density inside the hollow cathode decreases. As the first anode radius increases, the electron density increases both inside and outside of the cavity. Moreover, the increase of the electron density is more obvious in the microcathode sustained region than in the micro cavity region. The results reveal that the discharge inside the cavity interacts with that outside the cavity. The strong hollow cathode effect and the high-density plasma inside the cavity favor the formation of a sustained discharge between the first anode and the second anodes. Results also show that the radial boundary conditions exert a considerably weaker influence on the discharge except for a little change in the region close to the radial boundary.     

Novel electrode structure in a DBD reactor applied to the degradation of phenol in aqueous solution

Phenol degradation experimental results are presented in a similar wastewater aqueous solution using a non-thermal plasma reactor in a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge. The novelty of the work is that one of the electrodes of the reactor has the shape of a hollow screw which shows an enhanced efficiency compared with a traditional smooth structure. The experimentation was carried out with gas mixtures of 90% Ar–10% O_2, 80% Ar–20% O_2 and 0% Ar–100% O_2. After one hour of treatment the removal efficiency was 76%, 92%, and 97%, respectively, assessed with a gas chromatographic mass spectrometry technique. For both reactors used, the ozone concentration was measured. The screw electrode required less energy, for all gas mixtures, than the smooth electrode, to maintain the same ozone concentration. On the other hand, it was also observed that in both electrodes the electrical conductivity of the solution changed slightly from~0.0115 S m~(-1) up to ~0.0430 S m~(-1) after one hour of treatment. The advantages of using the hollow screw electrode structure compared with the smooth electrode were:(1) lower typical power consumption,(2) the generation of a uniform plasma throughout the reactor benefiting the phenol degradation,(3) a relatively lower temperature of the aqueous solution during the process, and(4) the plasma generation length is larger.     

Evaluation and Optimization of Electrode Configuration of Multi-Channel Corona Discharge Plasma for Dye-Containing Wastewater Treatment

A discharge plasma reactor with a point-to-plane structure was widely studied experimentally in wastewater treatment.In order to improve the utilization efficiency of active species and the energy efficiency of this kind of discharge plasma reactor during wastewater treatment,the electrode configuration of the point-to-plane corona discharge reactor was studied by evaluating the effects of discharge spacing and adjacent point distance on discharge power and discharge energy density,and then dye-containing wastewater decoloration experiments were conducted on the basis of the optimum electrode configuration.The experimental results of the discharge characteristics showed that high discharge power and discharge energy density were achieved when the ratio of discharge spacing to adjacent point distance(d/s) was 0.5.Reactive Brilliant Blue(RBB) wastewater treatment experiments presented that the highest RBB decoloration efficiency was observed at d/s of 0.5,which was consistent with the result obtained in the discharge characteristics experiments.In addition,the biodegradability of RBB wastewater was enhanced greatly after discharge plasma treatment under the optimum electrode configuration.RBB degradation processes were analyzed by GC-MS and IC,and the possible mechanism for RBB decoloration was also discussed.     

Microwaves Scattering by Underdense Inhomogeneous Plasma Column

The scattering characteristics of microwaves(MWs) by an underdense inhomogeneous plasma column have been investigated.The plasma column is generated by hollow cathode discharge(HCD) in a glass tube filled with low pressure argon.The plasma density in the column can be varied by adjusting the discharge current.The scattering power of X-band MWs by the column is measured at different discharge currents and receiving angles.The results show that the column can affect the properties of scattering wave significantly regardless of its plasma frequency much lower than the incident wave frequency.The power peak of the scattering wave shifts away from 0°to about ±15odirection.The finite-different time-domain(FDTD) method is employed to analyze the wave scattering by plasma column with different electron density distributions.The reflected MW power from a metal plate located behind the column is also measured to investigate the scattering effect on reducing MW reflectivity of a metal target.This study is expected to deepen the understanding of plasma-electromagnetic wave interaction and expand the applications concerning plasma antenna and plasma stealth.     

Effect of megapore particles packing on dielectric barrier discharge,O3 generation and benzene degradation

Recently, packed-bed discharge plasma technologies have been widely studied for treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), due to the good performance in improving the degradation and mineralization of VOCs. In this paper, a coaxial cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge reactor packed with porous material of micron-sized pores was used for degradation of benzene, and the discharge characteristics and ozone generation characteristics were studied. When the discharge length was 12 cm and the filling length was 5 cm, the packed particles in the discharge area significantly increased the number of micro-discharges, and the current amplitude and density increased with the pore size of packed particles, but the discharge power and ozone concentration showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. The discharge power and ozone production reached the maximum when the size of pore former was 75 μm, correspondingly, the degradation efficiency of benzene was the highest.     

Study on the plasma generation characteristics of an induction-triggered coaxial pulsed plasma thruster

At present,spark plugs are used to trigger discharge in pulsed plasma thrusters (PPT),which are known to be life-limiting components due to plasma corrosion and carbon deposition.A strong electric field could be formed in a cathode triple junction (CTJ) to achieve a trigger function under vacuum conditions.We propose an induction-triggered electrode structure on the basis of the CTJ trigger principle.The induction-triggered electrode structure could increase the electric field strength of the CTJ without changing the voltage between electrodes,contributing to a reduction in the electrode breakdown voltage.Additionally,it can maintain the plasma generation effect when the breakdown voltage is reduced in the discharge experiments.The induction-triggered electrode structure could ensure an effective trigger when the ablation distance of Teflon increases,and the magnetic field produced by the discharge current could further improve the plasma density and propagation velocity.The induction-triggered coaxial PPT we propose has a simplified trigger structure,and it is an effective attempt to optimize the micro-satellite thruster.     

Effects of O2 addition on the plasma uniformity and reactivity of Ar DBD excited by ns pulsed and AC power supplies

Dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) have been widely used in ozone synthesis, materials surface treatment, and plasma medicine for their advantages of uniform discharge and high plasma-chemical reactivity. To improve the reactivity of DBDs, in this work, the O₂ is added into Ar nanosecond (ns) pulsed and AC DBDs. The uniformity and discharge characteristics of Ar ns pulsed and AC DBDs with different O₂ contents are investigated with optical and electrical diagnosis methods. The DBD uniformity is quantitatively analyzed by gray value standard deviation method. The electrical parameters are extracted from voltage and current waveforms separation to characterize the discharge processes and calculate electron density n_e. The optical emission spectroscopy is measured to show the plasma reactivity and calculate the trend of electron temperature T_e with the ratio of two emission lines. It is found that the ns pulsed DBD has a much better uniformity than AC DBD for the fast rising and falling time. With the addition of O₂, the uniformity of ns pulsed DBD gets worse for the space electric field distortion by O₂⁻, which promotes the filamentary formation. While, in AC DBD, the added O₂ can reduce the intensity of filaments, which enhances the discharge uniformity. The ns pulsed DBD has a much higher instantaneous power and energy efficiency than AC DBD. The ratio of Ar emission intensities indicates that the T_e drops quickly with the addition of O₂ both ns pulsed and AC DBDs and the ns pulsed DBD has an obvious higher T_e and n_e than AC DBD. The results are helpful for the realization of the reactive and uniform low temperature plasma sources.     

Electrical Characteristics of Pseudoglow Discharges in Helium under Atmospheric Pressure

A pseudoglow discharge behaviour is achieved at a 2.0-mm dielectric-dielectric electrode gap in pure helium under atmospheric pressure. An experimental study of the pseudoglow discharges is presented. The electrical characteristics and the discharge photos of the pseudoglow discharges are analyzed and discussed. The current-voltage parameters of the pseudoglow dis- charges are considered in regard to the influence on their behaviour.     

Plasma characteristics in the discharge region of a 20A emission current hollow cathode

Numerical calculation and fluid simulation methods were used to obtain the plasma characteristics in the discharge region of the LIPS-300 ion thruster’s 20 A emission current hollow cathode and to verify the structural design of the emitter.The results of the two methods indicated that the highest plasma density and electron temperature,which improved significantly in the orifice region,were located in the discharge region of the hollow cathode.The magnitude of plasma density was about 10~(21)m~(-3)in the emitter and orifice regions,as obtained by numerical calculations,but decreased exponentially in the plume region with the distance from the orifice exit.Meanwhile,compared to the emitter region,the electron temperature and current improved by about 36%in the orifice region.The hollow cathode performance test results were in good agreement with the numerical calculation results,which proved that that the structural design of the emitter and the orifice met the requirements of a 20 A emission current.The numerical calculation method can be used to estimate plasma characteristics in the preliminary design stage of hollow cathodes.     

The influence of grounded electrode positions on the evolution and characteristics of an atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet

An atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) in Ar with various grounded electrode arrangements is employed to investigate the effects of electrode arrangement on the characteristics of the APPJ.Electrical and optical methods are used to characterize the plasma properties.The discharge modes of the APPJ with respect to applied voltage are studied for grounded electrodepositions of 10 mm,40 mm and 80 mm,respectively,and the main discharge and plasma parameters are investigated.It is shown that an increase in the distance between the grounded electrode and high-voltage electrode results in a change in the discharge modes and discharge parameters.The discharges transit from having two discharge modes,dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and jet,to having three,corona,DBD and jet,with increase in the distance from the grounded to the high-voltage electrodes.The maximum length of the APPJ reaches 3.8 cm at an applied voltage of 8 kV.The discharge power and transferred charges and spectral line intensities for species in the APPJ are influenced by the positions of the grounded electrode,while there is no obvious difference in the values of the electron excited temperature (EET) for the three grounded electrode positions.     

Ion property and electrical characteristics of 60 MHz very-high-frequency magnetron discharge at low pressure

The pre-ionized 60 MHz very-high-frequency (VHF) magnetron discharge at low pressure, assisted by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) discharge, was developed. The measurement of ion flux density and ion energy to the substrate was carried out by a retarding field energy analyzer. The electric characteristics of discharge were also investigated by voltage–current probe technique. It was found that by reducing the discharge pressure of VHF magnetron discharge from 5 to 1 Pa, the ion flux density increased about four times, meanwhile the ion energy also increased doubly. The electric characteristics of discharge also showed that a little improvement of sputtering effectiveness was achieved by reducing discharge pressure. Therefore, the deposition property of VHF (60 MHz) magnetron sputtering can be improved by reducing the discharge pressure using the ICP-assisted pre-ionized discharge.     

Spatial Evolution Study of EEDFs and Plasma Parameters in RF Stochastic Regime by Langmuir Probe

An RF compensated cylindrical Langmuir probe system has been developed and used to characterize an RF capacitive two temperature plasma discharge in a stochastic mode. The novelty of the work presented here is the use of the driven electrode （cathode） without ground shield. Measurements of the electron energy distribution function （EEDF） and plasma parameters were achieved under the following conditions： 50 W of RF power and 5× 10-2 mbar of argon pressure. The probe measurements are performed at 3 cm above the electrode and the probe was shifted radially （r direction） from the center （r = 0 cm） of the inter-electrodes region towards the chamber wall （R = 10.75 cm）. The results show that the EEDF is bi-Maxwellian and its shape remains the same through the scanned region. The farther the probe from the central region, the lower the EEDF maximum. The plasma density is observed to decrease according to a Gaussian profile along the radial direction and falls to 50% of its maximum when close to the cathode edge （r = 5.5 cm）. At the same time the effective electron temperature remains constant for r〈4 cm and increases for r≥4 cm. The high-temperature and low-temperature electrons＇ densities and temperatures are also discussed in the article.     

Plasma centrifuge for separation of metal elements and isotopes

Centrifugal separation of elements has been explored in rapidly rotating metal plasmas. The plasma is produced and driven into rotation by cross-field, vacuum discharge in a coaxial plasma gun. A large separation factor is measured in Cu/Zn plasmas. In particular, a hollow density profile which improves the separative power is found to be established in the plasma column.     

Numerical study on an atmospheric pressure helium discharge propagating in a dielectric tube: influence of tube diameter

In this work,a two-dimensional numerical simulation of the discharge characteristics of helium plasma propagating inside a dielectric tube was performed.A trapezoidal +9 kV pulse lasting 400 ns was applied on a needle electrode set inside the dielectric tube to ignite the discharge.The discharges generated in the tubes with a variable or a constant inner diameter were investigated.The focus of this study was on clarifying the effect of the tube diameter on the discharge structure and dynamics.The comparison of the discharge characteristics generated in dielectric tubes with different diameters was carried out.It was shown that the tube diameter plays a significant role in discharge behavior of plasma propagating in the dielectric tube.     

Characteristic Analysis of AC Plasma Arc in Water

An experimental system of AC arc discharge in water was designed with pole-pole electrodes and a peak voltage of 1500 V and a test circuit was set up using virtual instrument technology. The mechanism of an AC plasma arc generated in water was analyzed. The voltage- current characteristic of the AC plasma arc was obtained from the waveform. The temperature characteristic was tested with a spectrum diagnosis system, and the effect of different electrode materials on the striking voltage and peak current was analyzed. The results show that when a power supply of 6 KW is applied on electrodes with a gap of 2 mm in water, the striking voltage is from 900 to 1300 V, the arc voltage is from 40 to 100 V, the arc current is from 2 to 7 A, and the zero rest period is from 1 to 2 ms. In addition, the arc voltage and current are different for electrodes in aluminum, copper and stainless steel. The arc voltage is lower and the current is higher for an aluminum electrode than those for copper and stainless steel ones. The highest temperature of the arc is 7643 K.