Negative corona discharge can deflect in transverse airflow in pin-to-plane electrodes at atmospheric pressure. In this paper, we investigate the mechanism of Trichel pulse discharge deflection in transverse airflow and give a further understanding of the dynamic process of the deflection through experiments and simulations. In experiments, we quantitatively record the deflection angle by processing the discharge images, and they show that a larger airflow speed will lead to a larger deflection angle. In simulations, the discharge deflection angle is calculated through a 2D fluid model. Besides, the periodic fluctuation of the deflection angle with Trichel pulses is revealed, and this phenomenon can be explained by the alternative dominant effect of airflow or ionization on the net production of positive ions in the vicinity of the tip. When the effect of airflow is dominant, more positive ions will generate away from the center of the tip, which will lead to an increase in the deflection angle. On the other hand, when the effect of ionization prevails, more positive ions will generate near the center because the electric field here is stronger, and the deflection angle will decrease. In addition, if these two effects balance, the deflection angle will reach its maximum or minimum value.

Although the nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) discharge normally stabilizes into one of three regimes (corona/glow/spark) in a pulse train, another nonintuitive instability recently proved that it could periodically swing between corona and spark regimes characterized by repeated spark quenches and reestablishments (Zhao Z et al 2022 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 31 045005). In this paper, we have further investigated the suitability of NRP discharge regime transitions for different pulsed power supplies and revealed dramatic effects of the gas flow on streamer dynamics that possibly lead to spark quenches. Pulse-sequence and temporally resolved electrical and optical diagnostics were implemented to capture discharge evolutions in long pulse trains. Periodical discharge regime transitions under long-term repetitive nanosecond pulses are prevalent under transmission line transformer pulser and commercially available FID pulser with parameter constraints. A minimum deposited energy per spark is required for the successive spark pattern. The spark channel before its quench statistically prefers to deviate upstream rather than following the straight axis or intuitively bending downstream to search for more remnants. Before spark quenches, the initial streamer already either exhibits a large radial “detour” or propagates with a zig-zag profile along the periphery of previous spark regions. The periodical discharge regime transition and effects of the gas flow are qualitatively explained based on the plasma-source coupling, evolutions of dominant negative ions composition, and 3D streamer simulation. Periodical NRP spark quenches are probably initiated with the streamer “detour” and then accelerated by the thermal-ionization feedback instability. Inhomogeneous residual charge distribution and accumulations of complex negative ions with high electron bound energies may facilitate the following discharge to search for the gas inlet. In-depth understanding of NRP discharge instabilities could be reached, which are fundamentally governed by residual charge transport and energy relaxation.

The pulsed mode of negative DC corona discharge in nitrogen at atmosphere pressure is investigated in needle–plate electrodes and compared with Trichel pulses in air. Current/voltage waveforms and time-resolved discharge pictures are recorded experimentally. It is found that the pulsed mode only appears in the presence of a large ballast resistor. The slope of pulsed mode time-averaged voltage–current curve is negative, in contrast to that of Trichel pulses. A transition of slope from negative to positive is tracked by increasing the oxygen fraction. The development of pulse discharge in nitrogen can be divided into three stages: (1) current raising stage, (2) current falling stage, and (3) charging stage. At stage 1, the current raises and forms a peak. The leading edge lasts for dozens of nanoseconds, similar to that of Trichel pulses in air. At stage 2, the voltage decreases monotonically, where a second hump can appear in the current waveform. Through intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) pictures and fluid model simulation, the hump is attributed to the further development of temporal glow discharge. The relative value and occurrence time of this hump are shown to be affected by a parallel capacitor, the space between electrodes, and the applied source voltage. At stage 3, the current remains constant, combined with a rise of gap voltage. Meanwhile, the stray capacitor is charged, which is analyzed by an equivalent circuit model. Through this experiment and simulation, we further clarify the mechanisms of pulses in nitrogen and differences between pulses in nitrogen and Trichel pulses in air.

A diffusive ionization wave can be generated by an ultrafast high voltage far exceeding the inception threshold, and is featured by its unique and repetitive conical morphology. A combinative experimental and numerical study of the diffusive ionization waves is conducted in this work to investigate the role of photoionization in different N2/O2 mixtures with oxygen concentrations of 20%, 2%, 0.2%, 1 ppm, and pure nitrogen. In all gas mixtures, the ionization wave first forms a spherical shape after its inception then a conical when it approaches the plane electrode. Compared with typical filamentary streamers and inception cloud generated by low overvoltage, photoionization in a diffusive ionization wave takes effects mainly before the formation of the spherical ionization wave, and affects slightly the propagation velocity, discharge morphology, and the width (diameter) of the ionization wave. When the pin-to-plane electrode gap distance is kept 16 mm, in the atmospheric pressure simulation with an 85 kV voltage pulse, the maximum ionization width decreases from 11.4 mm in the 20% mixture to 9.1 mm in pure nitrogen. In the 200 mbar pressure experiment with a 16 kV voltage pulse, the maximum ionization width decreases from 12.5 mm in the 20% mixture to 11.6 mm in pure nitrogen. E in the inception cloud diameter estimation function (D=2U/E) is modified to estimate the width of the ionization wave during its spherical propagation stage. It is shown that the estimation results at 180-205 kV/cm are in good agreement with the simulation results at atmospheric pressure air.

Trichel pulse is a kind of pulsed mode in negative DC corona discharge, which has attracted significant attention because of its considerable applications in industry. Over eighty years, plenty of effort including simulations and experiments has been spent to reveal the ionization and quenching mechanisms of Trichel pulse. By revisiting and summarizing the basic characteristics and well-accepted ionization and quenching mechanisms, this review provides a basic understanding and the current status of Trichel pulse.

Positive streamers can be affected significantly by preceding discharges such as earlier streamers or a corona discharge. In this paper, we primarily discuss the effect of such a corona discharge on subsequent positive streamers with different intervals between them (0/500/990 ms) in air and pure nitrogen at 80 mbar with a repetition frequency of 1 Hz. We found that in air, when the interval time is 500 or 990 ms, a preceding discharge leads to shorter and weaker streamers or even prevents streamer inception altogether. This is likely due to negative ions which have converted to species that are harder to detach. The weaker streamers are also caused by more stable inception clouds which branch out later. When a corona discharge immediately precedes a streamer discharge in air, the streamers become longer, brighter while some branches develop from the side of the electrode instead of its tip. These effects are likely all related to plasma shielding caused by the corona discharge. In nitrogen, inception is primarily caused by electrons instead of negative ions. When the interval time is 500 or 990 ms in this gas, there is nearly no difference between streamers with and without a preceding corona discharge, because the inception time in nitrogen is the formative time that is not sensitive to the initial electron density. For near-zero intervals between corona and streamer discharges in nitrogen, streamers become smoother and thicker which can be attributed to a higher background ionization left by the corona discharge.

Pulsed mode as a common phenomenon appears in many kinds of DC corona discharge, whose characteristics can be affected by some specific factors. In this paper, an important research field of pulsed mode, pulsed–pulseless mode transition, is investigated in needle–plate electrodes in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure, and we discuss the effect of external circuit, gas temperature, and associative ionization on mode transition by experiment and simulation. The external circuit coupling with plasma can make the pulseless mode be achieved when there is a balance of charge between loss by discharge and gain by source before discharge quenches. The time-averaged gas temperature remains at 700 K which is regardless of source voltage and discharge mode, so gas heating is not a critical factor for mode transition. We investigate the effect of the associative ionization involving metastable particles by comparing the results with and without associative ionization reactions in the simulation; we find that the associative ionization is vital to determine the cathode voltage, discharge current, and the concentrative shape of discharge in the pulseless mode. Finally, we compare the pulsed–pulseless mode transition in nitrogen and air to clarify the effect of specific factors that depend on electronegativity of gas.

A method was developed for the determination of major, minor and trace elements in a submarine polymetallic nodule by x-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Fusion of the sample was performed in gfraphite crucibles using a 1 : 3 dilution ratio with an Li,B,O,-Li,CO,-LiNO, flux. Calibration was carried out with synthetic standards. The absorption-enhancement effects for 28 analytes were each corrected using influence coeftjcients generated by the COLA equation. The results obtained were in relatively good agreement with the recommended values for the Chinese reference material GSPN-1. The technique of sample preparation and the use of synthetic standards can also be extended to the analysis of other polymetallic ores.