No abstract

Electric field vector components in a nanosecond pulse, surface dialectric barrier discharge plasma actuator are measured by picosecond second harmonic generation, for positive, negative, and alternating polarity pulse trains. Plasma images show that in the same polarity train, the positive polarity discharge develops as two consecutive surface ionization waves, while the negative polarity discharge propagates as a single diffuse ionization wave. In the alternating polarity train, both positive and negative polarity discharge plasmas become strongly filamentary. In all pulse trains, the measurement results demonstrate a significant electric field offset before the discharge pulse, due to the surface charge accumulation during previous discharges pulses. This demonstrates that charge accumulation is a significant factor affecting the electric field in the discharge, even at very low pulse repetition rates. Peak electric field measured in the alternating polarity pulse train is lower compared to that in same polarity trains. However, the coupled pulse energy in the alternating polarity train is much higher, by a factor of 3-4, most likely due to the neutralization of the surface charge accumulated on the dielectric during the previous, opposite polarity pulses. This suggests that plasma surface actuators powered by alternating polarity pulse trains may generate higher amplitude thermal perturbations, producing a stronger effect on the flow field. The present results show that the time scale for the electric field reduction in the plasma after breakdown is fairly long, several tens of ns, including the conditions when the discharge develops as a diffuse ionization wave. This suggests that a considerable fraction of the energy is coupled to the plasma at a relatively low reduced electric field, several tens of Townsend. At these conditions, the discharge energy fraction thermalized as rapid heating would remain fairly low, thus limiting the effect on the flow caused by the highamplitude localized thermal perturbations.

Electric field in nanosecond pulse discharges in ambient air is measured by picosecond four-wave mixing, with absolute calibration by a known electrostatic field. The measurements are done in two geometries, (a) the discharge between two parallel cylinder electrodes placed inside quartz tubes, and (b) the discharge between a razor edge electrode and distilled water surface. In the first case, breakdown field exceeds DC breakdown threshold by approximately a factor of four, 140±10 kV cm −1 . In the second case, electric field is measured for both positive and negative pulse polarities, with pulse durations of ∼10 ns and ∼100 ns, respectively. In the short duration, positive polarity pulse, breakdown occurs at 85 kV cm −1 , after which the electric field decreases over several ns due to charge separation in the plasma, with no field reversal detected when the applied voltage is reduced. In a long duration, negative polarity pulse, breakdown occurs at a lower electric field, 30 kV cm −1 , after which the field decays over several tens of ns and reverses direction when the applied voltage is reduced at the end of the pulse. For both pulse polarities, electric field after the pulse decays on a microsecond time scale, due to residual surface charge neutralization by transport of opposite polarity charges from the plasma. Measurements 1 mm away from the discharge center plane, ∼100 μm from the water surface, show that during the voltage rise, horizontal field component (E x ) lags in time behind the vertical component (E y ). After breakdown, E y is reduced to near zero and reverses direction. Further away from the water surface (≈0.9 mm), E x is much higher compared to E y during the entire voltage pulse. The results provide insight into air plasma kinetics and charge transport processes near plasma-liquid interface, over a wide range of time scales.

In the present study, a plasma flow reactor (PFR) facility designed to perform both ex situ and in situ experiments of stable (H 2 and O 2) and intermediate (OH radicals) species detection was used to examine the plasma-assisted characteristics of hydrogen oxidation at 1 atm pressure for temperatures ranging from 420 K to 1100 K. Experiments were performed at nearly isothermal conditions, by heavily diluting reactive mixtures in argon, in an attempt to mitigate temperature changes from exothermic chemical reactions. This technique allows experimental results to be interpreted from a perspective that plasma and thermal (neutral) heat release effects are decoupled, essentially isolating the effects of the plasma-chemistry and its influence on the neutral-chemistry. Results showed no thermal reaction until 860 K, at which point hydrogen was rapidly consumed within the flow residence time associated with the reactor. With the plasma discharge, the onset of oxidation was extended to lower temperatures (T < 860 K), while exhibiting a steady increase in the rate of oxidation starting from 470 K, and eventually consuming all the initial hydrogen by 800 K. Absolute measurements of OH mole fraction reveal that at conditions well below the dominance of the thermal chain-branched chemistry (at T = 668 K), the plasma induced a chain-propagating effect on OH formation, which was entirely confined to the boundaries of the plasma discharge section of the reactor. Furthermore, temporal measurements were also performed, showing that the extent of OH formation and subsequently its global effect on the fuel consuming chemistry can be manipulated based on the plasma perturbation timescale (i.e., the time scale at which the high-voltage pulses are administered to the reactive flow to generate the plasma discharge). Experimental results are compared to modeling calculations and show relatively good agreement, with the model predicting similar kinetic trends as a function of temperature. These results demonstrate new insight into the kinetics governing plasma-assisted combustion, and provide new experimental data to facilitate the development and validation of PAC-specific kinetic mechanisms.

Electric field during ns pulse discharge breakdown in ambient air has been measured by ps four-wave mixing, with temporal resolution of 0.2 ns. The measurements have been performed in a diffuse plasma generated in a dielectric barrier discharge, in plane-to-plane geometry. Absolute calibration of the electric field in the plasma is provided by the Laplacian field measured before breakdown. Sub-nanosecond time resolution is obtained by using a 150 ps duration laser pulse, as well as by monitoring the timing of individual laser shots relative to the voltage pulse, and post-processing four-wave mixing signal waveforms saved for each laser shot, placing them in the appropriate 'time bins'. The experimental data are compared with the analytic solution for time-resolved electric field in the plasma during pulse breakdown, showing good agreement on ns time scale. Qualitative interpretation of the data illustrates the effects of charge separation, charge accumulation/neutralization on the dielectric surfaces, electron attachment, and secondary breakdown. Comparison of the present data with more advanced kinetic modeling is expected to provide additional quantitative insight into air plasma kinetics on ~ 0.1-100 ns scales.