Control and Stabilization of Centimeter Scale Glow Discharge in Ambient Air Using Pulse-Width Modulation

Abstract

Re-pulsing glow discharges in atmospheric-pressure air were experimentally investigated using a push-pull generator with pulse-width modulation. Discharge was ignited as a spark-glow discharge sequence and sustained in a glow regime after ignition in a gap of 2 cm. Discharges were characterized by current and voltage measurements, and optical emission spectrometry. It was found that at a certain range of parameters, the discharge could be stabilized even in the presence of external airflow. It was demonstrated that the type of discharge and total power dissipated in the plasma volume could be precisely controlled by pulse-width modulation. Additionally, it was confirmed that the rotational temperature varied across a wide range (1640-2440 K) by using pulse-width modulation with gas-flow control, when vibrational temperature was around 4610 ± 770 K. The generation of stable glow discharge in the presence of gas flow with a wide range of parameters that could be precisely controlled by pulse-width modulation looks promising for use in energy-efficient gas conversion. INDEX TERMS glow discharge; gliding arc; OES; air plasma; PWM.

Evidence of near-the-limit energy cost NO formation in atmospheric spark discharge

“…A custom generator consisting of a regulated direct current (DC) power supply, push-pull generator with pulse width modulation (PWM), diode rectifier and reservoir capacitor has been implemented [16]. The use of PWM assured enhanced discharge control and plasma stability at higher gas flows [17].…”

“…At low frequency sparks become hard to ignite due to the low residual ion density at longer plasmaoff time, which is not enough for stable plasma ignition. Also, when plasma-on time is shorter than the reservoir capacitor charging time (frequency is >2 kHz) [16], both glow and sparks reveal hard ignition (figure 3(d)).…”

Development of atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier glow discharge in large gaps through modulation of pulsed power supply upon AC

“…Streamers only hit certain points of the sample and do not cover the sample entirely, which may cause damage to the undertreated fine samples 1-3 . Therefore, glow mode is desirable in a wide range of applications where there is a need for uniform treatment, such as biomedical applications 2 , surface modification 4,5 , and gas conversion 6 . Although glow discharge is formed simply under low pressure, on an industrial scale, the use of atmospheric pressure plasma is superior to the use of low pressure plasma due to the lack of vacuum equipment 7 .…”

Cold Plasma Processing on Fruits and Fruit Juices: A Review on the Effects of Plasma on Nutritional Quality

“…Although nitrogen species are still prominent in glow discharge plasma, OH radicals and nitric oxide concentration are much higher than DBD plasma. Due to the high concentration of nitric oxide, air glow discharge plasma efficiently fixates nitrogen in organic materials [58].…”