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Multidimensional modeling of non-equilibrium plasma generated by a radio-frequency corona discharge

Journal Article · · Plasma Sources Science and Technology
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Università degli Studi di Perugia (Italy)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  3. Università degli Studi di Perugia (Italy)
  4. Federal Mogul Powertrain (Italy)
  5. Esgee Technologies Inc. (United States)
  6. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Low-temperature plasma (LTP) ignition concepts rely on the production of radical and charged species to speed up the onset of combustion in spark-ignition engines. These features are responsible for the superior performance of LTP igniters under extremely dilute combustion operation that is not achievable by conventional spark igniters. Additionally, LTP discharges extend the lifetime of the igniters, due to the avoidance of spark processes. For these reasons, the engine research community and the automotive industry have shown growing interest in this technology in the recent years. As of today, computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) codes typically used by the multi-dimensional engine modeling community do not have reliable models to describe LTP ignition processes. One key missing piece of information is the physical and chemical properties of the plasma and their effect on combustion ignition. Most non-equilibrium plasma simulations reported in literature are based on simplified, canonical geometries, with simple discharge excitation schemes. Here we conduct multi-dimensional modeling of the non-equilibrium plasma generated by an application-relevant radio-frequency (RF) corona discharge in air. Three test cases are simulated, characterized by different environmental pressure levels and peak electrode voltage values at room temperature. Streamer penetration, electron number density, atomic oxygen production, and bulk gas temperature distribution in the first 10 sinusoidal pulses are presented and discussed. This model can be used as a key tool for an in-depth understanding of RF-corona discharge for automotive applications and provides the basis for future implementations of dedicated LTP ignition models in CFD codes.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Vehicle Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1777125
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 23022974
Journal Information:
Plasma Sources Science and Technology, Journal Name: Plasma Sources Science and Technology Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 29; ISSN 1361-6595
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
advanced ignition systems
corona discharge
non-equilibrium plasma
plasma igniters
plasma multi-dimensional modeling