Role of metastable atoms in the propagation of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge jets

Journal Article · Mon Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3295914· OSTI ID:21476141

Qing, Li; Ximing, Zhu; Jiangtao, Li; Yikang, Pu ^[1]

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1. Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

In the experiment of plasma jets generated in a tube dielectric barrier discharge configuration, three distinguishable modes, namely, laminar, transition, and turbulent jet modes, have been identified. Flows of helium, neon, and argon gases shared the hydrodynamic law when their plasma jets spraying into ambient air of atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Aiming to reveal the basic processes, we propose that plasma jet length is mainly determined by reactions involving metastable atoms. These processes are responsible for the variation in plasma jet length versus gas flow rate and working gas species. To investigate this proposal in detail, we have obtained three significant experimental results, i.e., (1) the plasma jet lengths of helium, neon, and argon are different; (2) the plasma jet length of krypton slightly changes with gas flow rate, with three modes indistinguishable; and (3) there are large differences between optical emission spectra of helium, neon, argon, and krypton flow gases. These observations are in good agreement with our proposal.

• OSTI ID: 21476141
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 107, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3295914; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
AIR
ARGON
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
ATOMS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
EMISSION SPECTRA
GAS FLOW
HELIUM
KRYPTON
METASTABLE STATES
NEON
PLASMA
PLASMA JETS
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
TURBULENCE
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GASES
NONMETALS
RARE GASES
SPECTRA
TEMPERATURE RANGE