Modelling of an afterglow plasma in air produced by a pulsed discharge

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2010

Authors

Carlos Daniel Diogo Matias Pintassilgo (Author) FEUP; Guerra, V (Author) Other; Guaitella, O (Author) Other; Rousseau, A (Author) Other

Journal

Title: PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Vol. 19

Final page: 055001

Publisher: IOP Publishing

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 11 Citations

Scopus - 9 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-2MX

DOI: 10.1088/0963-0252/19/5/055001

Abstract (EN): A kinetic model is developed to study the afterglow plasma of a pulsed discharge in air. This model includes a detailed analysis of the temporal evolution of heavy species during the pulse, followed by their relaxation in the afterglow. The predicted results are compared with two experimental sets performed in the time afterglow of a pulsed discharge in N(2)-20% O(2) at a pressure p = 133 Pa involving the measurements of (i) N(2)(B) and N(2)(C) fluorescences for a discharge current I = 40 mA and a pulse duration tau = 200 mu s and 10 ms, together with (ii) the absolute concentration of NO(X) for I = 40 and 80 mA with tau varying from 1 to 4 ms. The results of the model agree reasonably well with the measurements of N(2)(B) and N(2)(C) decays. It is shown that under these experimental conditions, N(2)(B) is always populated mainly via the process N(2)(A)+ N(2)(X, 5 <= v <= 14) -> N(2)(B)+ N(2)(X, v = 0), while the relaxation of N(2)(C) is dominated by the pooling reaction N(2)(A) + N(2)(A) -> N(2)(C) + N(2)(X, v = 0). An almost constant concentration of NO(X) is experimentally observed until the remote afterglow, but the present model is only capable of predicting the same order of magnitude for afterglow times t less than or similar to 0.05 s. Several hypotheses are discussed and advanced in order to explain this discrepancy.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 14