A Ana Sobota

Speed of streamers in argon over a flat surface of a dielectric

A pin–pin electrode geometry was used to study the velocities of streamers propagating over a flat dielectric surface and in gas close to the dielectric. The experiments were done in an argon atmosphere, at pressures from 0.1 to 1 bar, with repetitive voltage pulses. The dielectric surface played a noticeable role in discharge ignition and propagation. The average speed of the discharge decreased with higher pressure and lower voltage pulse rise rate. It was higher when the conductive channel between the electrodes was formed over the dielectric, rather than through the gas. Space resolved measurements revealed an increase in velocity of the discharge as it travelled towards the grounded electrode.

Transitions Between and Control of Guided and Branching Streamers in DC Nanosecond Pulsed Excited Plasma Jets

Plasma bullets are ionization fronts created in atmospheric-pressure plasma jets. The propagation behavior of those bullets is, in the literature, explained by the formation of an interface between the inert gas and the ambient air created by the gas flow of the plasma jet, which guides these discharges in the formed gas channel. In this paper, we examine this ionization phenomenon in uniform gases at atmospheric pressure where this interface between two gases is not present. By changing electrical parameters and adding admixtures such as oxygen, nitrogen, and air to the gas flow, the conditions for which plasma bullets are present are investigated. Nanosecond time-resolved images have been taken with an ICCD camera to observe the propagation behavior of these discharges. It is argued that the inhomogeneous spatial concentration of metastable atoms and ions, due to the laminar gas flow and the operation frequency of the discharge in the range of a few kilohertz, is responsible for the guidance of the ionization fronts. Furthermore, conditions have been observed at where the branching of the discharge is stable and reproducible over time in the case of a helium plasma by adding admixtures of oxygen. Possible mechanisms for this phenomenon are discussed.

Experimentally obtained values of electric field of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet impinging on a dielectric surface

We report on experimentally obtained values of the electric field magnitude on a dielectric surface induced by an impinging atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The plasma plume was striking the dielectric surface at an angle of 45°, at 5 mm from the surface measured at the axis of the jet. The results were obtained using Pockels technique on a BSO (Bi12SiO20) crystal. A coaxial configuration of the plasma jet was used, operating in a stable mode with one bullet per voltage period, at 30 kHz and amplitude of 2 kV. The electric field was shown to be a function of the gas flow (He, at 300, 500 and 700 SCCM) and the manner in which the discharge spreads over the dielectric surface. The maximum value of 11.6 × 105 V m−1 was obtained at the negative half-period of the discharge current measured at the grounded electrode, at the flow of 300 SCCM. The largest electric field averaged over the area of the spreading of the discharge (3.6 × 105 V m−1) was found in the same conditions.

Gas flow characteristics of a time modulated APPJ: the effect of gas heating on flow dynamics

This work investigates the flow dynamics of a radio-frequency (RF) non-equilibrium argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The RF power is at a frequency of 50 Hz or 20 kHz. Combined flow pattern visualizations (obtained by shadowgraphy) and gas temperature distributions (obtained by Rayleigh scattering) are used to study the formation of transient vortex structures in initial flow field shortly after the plasma is switched on and off in the case of 50 Hz modulation. The transient vortex structures correlate well with observed temperature differences. Experimental results of the fast modulated (20 kHz) plasma jet that does not induce changes of the gas temperature are also presented. The latter result suggests that momentum transfer by ions does not have dominant effect on the flow pattern close to the tube. It is argued that the increased gas temperature and corresponding gas velocity increase at the tube exit due to the plasma heating increases the admixing of surrounding air and reduces the effective potential core length. With increasing plasma power a reduction of the effective potential core length is observed with a minimum length for 5.6 W after which the length extends again. Possible mechanisms related to viscosity effects and ionic momentum transfer are discussed.

The influence of the geometry and electrical characteristics on the formation of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet

An extensive electrical study was performed on a coaxial geometry atmospheric pressure plasma jet source in helium, driven by 30 kHz sine voltage. Two modes of operation were observed, a highly reproducible low-power mode that features the emission of one plasma bullet per voltage period and an erratic high-power mode in which micro-discharges appear around the grounded electrode. The minimum of power transfer efficiency corresponds to the transition between the two modes. Effective capacitance was identified as a varying property influenced by the discharge and the dissipated power. The charge carried by plasma bullets was found to be a small fraction of charge produced in the source irrespective of input power and configuration of the grounded electrode. The biggest part of the produced charge stays localized in the plasma source and below the grounded electrode, in the range 1.2–3.3 nC for ground length of 3–8 mm.

The impingement of a kHz helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet on a dielectric surface

A parametric study of the impingement of a helium kHz atmospheric pressure plasma jet on a flat glass surface was performed by means of time-resolved intensified charge-coupled device imaging. The development of the plasma on the target is linked to the plasma evolution in the source and governed by the power supply. The glass surface takes part in the elongation of the plasma jet by the virtue of two mechanisms: the local enhancement of the electric field and the supply of pre-deposited charge. The evidence for the pre-deposited charge is the formation of a sheath on the glass surface, and the faint discharge formed on the glass surface during the negative voltage slope starting at the maximum of the negative current peak. The influence of the gas flow dynamics taking into account various gas flows, incident angles and distances is more important for the behaviour of the discharge on the surface than the voltage amplitude or the geometry of the source. The capacitance of the target strongly modifies the interaction with the plasma jet and increases the deposited surface charge density, featuring a streamer-like propagation mechanism in the case of high electric field enhancement at the surface.

Ac breakdown in near-atmospheric pressure noble gases: II. Simulations

The effect of frequency on the characteristics of ac-driven breakdown processes in 0.7bar argon is investigated by means of a two-dimensional fluid model. The geometry represents the high intensity discharge lamp burner with a pin‐pin electrode system forming a 7mm electrode gap. The breakdown process is considered in the frequency range between 60kHz and 1MHz. The appearance of the discharge and the influence of the voltage frequency on its characteristics obtained in the simulations is in good agreement with the experimental data (accompanying paper—Sobota et al 2011 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 44 224002, special issue on LS12/WLED3 symposium). The role of the secondary electron emission from the electrode surfaces is demonstrated and linked to the lowering of the threshold voltage with the increase in frequency observed both in experiment and model. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

Discharge Ignition Near a Dielectric

Electrical breakdown in noble gas near a dielectric is an important issue in lighting industry. In order to investigate the influence of the dielectric on the ignition process, we perform measurements in argon, with pressure varying from 0.1 to 1 bar, using a pin-pin electrode geometry. Here, we present time-resolved images of ignition process for two different distances from electrodes to the dielectric.

Ac breakdown in near-atmospheric pressure noble gases: I. Experiment

Ac-driven breakdown processes have been explored much less than the pulsed or dc breakdown, even though they have possible applications in industry. This paper focuses on the frequency range between 60 kHz and 1 MHz, at a pin–pin electrode geometry and gap lengths of 4 or 7 mm. The breakdown process was examined in argon and xenon at 0.3 and 0.7 bar. We used electrical and optical measurements to characterize the breakdown process, to observe the influence of frequency change and the effect of ignition enhancers—UV irradiation and radioactive material.

Electric field measurements in a kHz-driven He jet - The influence of the gas flow speed

This report focuses on the dependence of electric field strength in the effluent of a vertically downwards-operated plasma jet freely expanding into room air as a function of the gas flow speed. A 30 kHz AC-driven He jet was used in a coaxial geometry, with an amplitude of 2 kV and gas flow between 700 sccm and 2000 SCCM. The electric field was measured by means of Stark polarization spectroscopy of the He line at 492.19 nm. While the minimum and the maximum measured electric fields remained unchanged, the effect of the gas flow speed is to cause stretching of the measured profile in space-the higher the flow, the longer and less steep the electric field profile. The portion of the effluent in which the electric field was measured showed an increase of electric field with increasing distance from the capillary, for which the probable cause is the contraction of the plasma bullet as it travels through space away from the capillary. There are strong indications that the stretching of the electric field profile with increase in the flow speed is caused by differences in gas mixing as a function of the gas flow speed. The simulated gas composition shows that the amount of air entrained into the gas flow behaves in a similar way to the observed behaviour of the electric field. In addition we have shown that the visible length of the plasma plume is associated with a 0.027 molar fraction of air in the He flow in this configuration, while the maximum electric field measured was associated with a 0.014 molar fraction of air at gas flow rates up to 1500 SCCM (4.9 m s(-1)). At higher flows vortices occur in the effluent of the jet, as seen in Schlieren visualization of the gas flow with and without the discharge.