Simulations of direct-current air glow discharge at pressures {approx}1 Torr: Discharge model validation

Journal Article · Sat May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3374711· OSTI ID:21476174

Mahadevan, Shankar; Raja, Laxminarayan L ^[1]

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1. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

Computational simulations of air glow discharge phenomena in the pressure range typical of plasma actuator applications for high speed flow control are presented. The model is based on a self-consistent, multispecies, and multitemperature continuum description of the plasma. A reduced air plasma model suitable for multidimensional simulations with 11 species and 21 gas phase chemical reactions is validated against experimental results in the literature. The discharge model predicts experimentally observed glow mode discharge operation, the current-voltage characteristics of the discharge, and spatial profiles of the electron temperature and positive ion number densities. For pressures of order 1 Torr, O{sub 2}{sup +} and N{sub 2}{sup +} are the dominant positive ion species in the discharge, and the concentration of O{sup -} negative ion is comparable to electron concentration. The two-dimensional structure of the discharge is predicted by the model is found to be in agreement with qualitative observations from the experiments.

• OSTI ID: 21476174
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 107; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACTUATORS
AIR
CHARGED PARTICLES
CURRENTS
DIRECT CURRENT
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
GLOW DISCHARGES
ION DENSITY
ION TEMPERATURE
IONS
LEPTONS
NITROGEN IONS
OXYGEN IONS
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA SIMULATION
SIMULATION
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS