Electrical characterization of dielectric barrier discharge driven by repetitive nanosecond pulses in atmospheric air

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is an important method to produce non-thermal plasma, which has been widely used in many fields. In the paper, a repetitive nanosecond-pulse generator is used for the excitation of DBD. Output positive pulse of the generator has a rise time of about 15 ns and a full width at half maximum of 30–40 ns, and pulse repetition frequency varies from single shot to 2 kHz. The purpose of this paper is to experiment the electrical characteristics of DBD driven by repetitive nanosecond pulses. The variables affecting discharge conditions, including air gap spacing, dielectric thickness, barrier fashion, and applied pulse repetition frequency, are investigated. The relationship between electric field, discharge current, instantaneous discharge power across air gap, and estimated electron density with the length of air gap, dielectric thickness, barrier fashion, and pulse repetition frequency is obtained respectively, and the experimental results are also discussed. In addition, two typical images exhibiting homogeneous and filamentary discharges are given with different experimental conditions.     

Characterization of the single nanosecond pulsed surface dielectric barrier plasma actuator: Geometric and electric effects

The influence of the electrode length and the voltage pulses on the discharge characteristics of the surface dielectric barrier discharge actuators were investigated numerically by using the plasma kinetic model. The governing equations including the coupled continuity plasma discharge equation, drift-diffusion equation, electron energy equation, Poisson's equation, and Navier–Stokes equation were solved in quiescent air at atmospheric pressure. The results show that the shorter pulse rising time results in higher discharge characteristics, more intense discharge, and bigger discharge region. Differently, the compared discharge characteristics for the electrodes with different lengths prove that the length of the powered and ground electrodes has little effect on the surface dielectric barrier discharge driven by nanosecond pulsed voltage.     

Optical characteristics of the plasma of a nanosecond atmospheric-pressure volume discharge in a nonuniform electric field

Optical characteristics of the plasma of nanosecond volume discharges in air, nitrogen, krypton, argon, neon, and Ar/N₂ and Ar/Xe mixtures at elevated pressures are investigated. The discharges are excited in a gap with a cathode of small curvature radius. The waveforms and spectra of plasma emission from discharges in different gases in the 230-to 600-nm spectral range are measured. Optical generation in an Ar/Xe mixture is achieved at an active length of 1.5 cm. A comparison is performed of the spectral characteristics of the emission from nitrogen, krypton, argon, and neon excited by a volume discharge in a nonuniform electric field, by a nanosecond electron beam, and by a pulsed volume discharge in a uniform electric field at a high initial voltage.     

锯齿波频率对介质阻挡放电光谱特性的影响

采用微间隙平行平板介质阻挡放电(DBD)装置,以氩气作为工作气体,研究了锯齿波激励下DBD的放电图像、发光信号、发射光谱与锯齿波频率的关系。研究发现随锯齿波频率增加,DBD会从均匀模式(低于10 kHz),经历微放电丝与均匀放电共存,并最终过渡到微放电丝占据全部的电极区(频率高于35 kHz)。外加电压和发光波形表明,锯齿波频率较低时的均匀放电对应高占空比的阶梯放电。随频率增大,出现微放电丝后,发光波形呈现多脉冲形式,且电压半周期中的发光脉冲个数随着锯齿波频率的增大而减小。当锯齿波频率高于35 kHz时,每半个电压周期的发光脉冲个数减小为一个(单脉冲放电)。通过对放电的发射光谱进行研究,发现发射光谱中包含氮分子的第二正带系(C3Π_u→B3Π_u),OH(A2Σ+→X2Π)和ArI的特征谱线。研究表明OH(308.8 nm)和ArI(750.4 nm)的谱线强度均随锯齿波频率的增大而增大。     

Nanosecond discharge in sulfur hexafluoride and the generation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam

A discharge in the presence of a nonuniform electric field and the generation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam (UAEB) are studied in the insulating gas SF₆ at the pressures 0.01–2.50 atm. High-voltage nanosecond pulses (about 150 and 250 kV) and the voltage pulses with an amplitude of 25 kV and a duration of tens of nanoseconds are applied across the gap. An electron beam is obtained behind the AlBe foil with a thickness of 45 μm at a sulfur hexafluoride pressure in a gas-filled diode of up to 2 atm. It is demonstrated that, at relatively high pressures (greater than 1 atm) and in the presence of high-voltage nanosecond pulses across the gap, the UAEB pulse FWHM increases. The spectra of the diffuse and contracted discharges in sulfur hexafluoride are measured.     

大气压尖板电极结构重复频率纳秒脉冲放电中X射线辐射特性研究

文章通过碘化钠晶体和光电倍增管构成的X射线探测系统,研究了上升沿15ns,脉宽30-40ns量级,电压90kV的大气压重频纳秒脉冲气体放电中X射线的辐射特性,X射线有效探测能量范围为10-130keV.结果表明放电产生的X射线主要集中在20-90keV能量范围,而能量在十几keV的软X射线和超过90keV的高能X射线数量很少.X射线辐射计数随脉冲重复频率的增加而增加,随着气隙距离的改变存在峰值,且峰值出现在弥散放电模式.     

Measurement of OH spatially resolved spectrum in a wire-plate pulsed streamer discharge

In this study, spatially resolved measurements of the emission intensity of OH (A²Σ↦X²Π, 0-0) and the vibrational temperature of N₂ (C) have been performed during a positive pulsed streamer discharge with a wire-plate electrode configuration at atmospheric pressure. The effects of pulse peak voltage, pulse repetition rate and the added O₂ flow rate on the spatial distributions of the emission intensity of OH (A²Σ↦X²Π, 0-0) and the vibrational temperatures of N₂ (C) perpendicular to the wire in the direction towards the plate (in the radial direction) are investigated. It has been found that the emission intensity of OH (A²Σ↦X²Π, 0-0) increases with increasing pulse peak voltage and pulse repetition rate and decreases with increasing the distance from the wire electrode. When the different oxygen flows are added in N₂ and H₂O mixture gas, the emission intensity of OH (A²Σ↦X²Π, 0-0) decreases with increasing the flow rate of oxygen. The vibrational temperature of N₂ (C) is nearly independent of pulsed peak voltage and pulsed repetition rate, but increases with increasing the added O₂ flow rate and keeps almost constant in the radial direction under the present experimental conditions. This measurement plays a crucial role in understanding the discharge characters of pulsed streamer discharge and establishing the molecule reaction dynamics model of pulsed streamer discharge.     

发射光谱研究大气压等离子体射流的气体温度

采用介质阻挡放电等离子体喷枪装置,在大气压下流动氩气中产生了射流等离子体。利用光电倍增管,对射流等离子体进行了时空分辨测量,分析了等离子体喷枪内介质阻挡放电和外部等离子体羽的放电特性。利用高分辨率光谱仪采集等离子体羽处的发射光谱,通过对发射光谱中OH(A2Σ+→X2Π,307.7～308.9nm)及N2+的第一负系(B2Σ+u→X2Π+g,390～391.6nm)谱线拟合得到了射流等离子体的转动温度,拟合得到的转动温度分别为443和450K。在5%的误差范围内,这2种方法得到的结果是一致的。由于在大气压下,转动温度近似等于产生气体放电的气体温度,所以可以确定大气压射流等离子体气体温度。利用该方法研究了不同电压下的气体温度,发现气体温度随着外加电压增加而增大。     

Time-resolved processes in a pulsed electrical discharge in argon bubbles in water

A phenomenological picture of a pulsed electrical discharge in gas bubbles in water is produced by combining electrical, spectroscopic, and imaging characterization methods. The discharge is generated by applying 1 m\mu s pulses of 5 to 20 kV between a needle and a disk electrode submerged in water. An Ar gas bubble surrounds the tip of the needle electrode. Imaging, electrical characteristics, and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopic data suggest a fast streamer propagation mechanism and the formation of a plasma channel in the bubble. Comparing the electrical and imaging data for consecutive pulses applied to the bubble at a frequency of 1 Hz indicates that each discharge proceeds as an entirely new process with no memory of the previous discharge aside from the presence of long-lived chemical species, such as ozone and oxygen. Imaging and electrical data show the presence of two discharge events during each applied voltage pulse, a forward discharge near the beginning of the applied pulse depositing charge on the surface of the bubble and a reverse discharge removing the accumulated charge from the water/gas interface when the applied voltage is turned off. The pd value of ~ 300–500 torr cm, the 1 μs long pulse duration, low repetition rate, and unidirectional character of the applied voltage pulses make the discharge process here unique compared to the traditional corona or dielectric barrier discharges.     

Rapid breakdown mechanisms of open air nanosecond dielectric barrier discharges

The discharge initiation mechanism of nanosecond dielectric barrier discharges in open air has been clarified with time-dependent measurement of the discharge electric field by electric-field-induced coherent Raman scattering and optical emission. Our experimental observations have revealed that, in the prebreakdown phase of a nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge, the externally applied fast-rising electric field is strongly enhanced near the cathode due to large accumulation of space charge, which then strongly enhances ionization near the cathode. Once a sufficiently large number of ionizations take place, the location of peak ionization forms a front and propagates toward the cathode with strong optical emission, which establishes the discharge. This process is essentially different from the well-known Townsend mechanism for slower discharges.     

Experimental investigation of nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation

In this paper we report on an experimental study of the characteristics of nanosecond pulsed discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation. The N 2 (C 3 Π u ) rotational and vibrational temperatures are around 430 K and 0.24 eV, respectively. The emission intensity ratio between the first negative system and the second positive system of N 2 , as a rough indicator of the temporally and spatially averaged electron energy, has a minor dependence on applied voltage amplitude. The induced flow direction is not parallel, but vertical to the dielectric layer surface, as shown by measurements of body force, velocity, and vorticity. Nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation is effective in airfoil flow separation control at freestream speeds up to 100 m/s.     

气流对氮气介质阻挡放电气体温度及放电模式的影响

利用光谱测量和高速照相的方法,对大气压氮气介质阻挡放电进行了研究.在气流的帮助下,2mm气隙中的均匀放电可以长时间得以维持.根据放电电流波形和1μs曝光时间的放电图像,这种均匀放电被判定为汤森放电.用氦氖激光器对实验中所用的光谱仪带来的谱线轮廓展宽进行了标定,并将得到的仪器展宽数据输入Specair软件,计算了不同气体温度下氮分子二正系0—2谱带的谱线轮廓.通过用计算谱线轮廓去拟合实验谱线轮廓,确定了氮分子的转动温度并将其近似为气体温度.结果表明:大气压氮气介质阻挡汤森放电并不能使气体温度大幅上升(ΔTg≤50K),气体温度的小幅上升不会引起热不稳定性而导致放电发展成为细丝放电.气流确实可以降低放电气体温度,但这不是使汤森放电得以维持的原因.通过比较加入气流前后的放电光谱可知,气流降低了气隙中杂质氧的含量,使得更多的氮分子亚稳态N2(A3Σu+)的寿命延长到下一次放电的起始时刻,为汤森放电提供了必需的大量种子电子.     

Study on the transition from filamentary discharge to diffuse discharge by using a dielectric barrier surface discharge device

Discharge characteristics have been investigated in different gases under different pressures using a dielectric barrier surface discharge device. Electrical measurements and optical emission spectroscopy are used to study the discharge, and the results obtained show that the discharges in atmospheric pressure helium and in low-pressure air are diffuse, while that in high-pressure air is filamentary. With decreasing pressure, the discharge in air can transit from filamentary to diffuse one. The results also indicate that corona discharge around the stripe electrode is important for the diffuse discharge. The spectral intensity of N电介质 表面放电 扩散放电 发射光谱学dielectric barrier surface discharge, diffuse discharge, optical emission spectroscopyProject supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 10575027 and 10647123), the National Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (Grant No A2007000134), the Education Department of Hebei Province, China (Grant No 2006106),2006-10-24Discharge characteristics have been investigated in different gases under different pressures using a dielectric barrier surface discharge device. Electrical measurements and optical emission spectroscopy are used to study the discharge, and the results obtained show that the discharges in atmospheric pressure helium and in low-pressure air are diffuse, while that in high-pressure air is filamentary. With decreasing pressure, the discharge in air can transit from filamentary to diffuse one. The results also indicate that corona discharge around the stripe electrode is important for the diffuse discharge. The spectral intensity of N＋ （391.4nm） relative to N2 （337.1 nm） is measured during the transition from diffuse to filamentary discharge. It is shown that relative spectral intensity increases during the discharge transition. This phenomenon implies that the averaged electron energy in diffuse discharge is higher than that in the filamentary discharge.     

Optical Emission Spectroscopy Investigation of a Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Aerodynamic Actuator

The optical emission spectroscopy of a surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma aerodynamic actuator is investigated with different electrode configurations, applied voltages and driving frequencies. The rotational temperature of N2 （C^3 Ⅱu） molecule is calculated according to its rotational emission band near 380.5 nm. The average electron energy of the discharge is evaluated by emission intensity ratio of first negative system to second positive system of N2. The rotational temperature is sensitive to the inner space of an electrode pair. The average electron energy shows insensitivity to the applied voltage, the driving frequency and the electrode configuration.     

大气压氖气介质阻挡放电脉冲等离子射流特性

采用自行研制的低造价、小体积、可产生幅值0~35 kV、重复频率1 kHz的高压s脉冲电源,设计了一套以大气压氖气为工作气体的介质阻挡放电（DBD）等离子体射流源,通过测量并计算放电过程中的电压-电流波形、拍摄放电图像、光谱分析等手段,对电压幅值、气体流速对氖气等离子体射流特性的影响进行了研究。结果表明:s脉冲电源激励下大气压氖气DBD能产生锥状的等离子射流且其等离子强度适中;s脉冲电源电压幅值的快速上升,可在放电空间瞬间施加高的过电压,能有效促进放电功率、电子密度、电子激发温度和射流长度的增加;工作气体流速的增加使得放电功率、电子激发温度和电子密度减小,而射流长度变化很小;一定条件下,能形成长距离的射流。     

纳秒脉冲下几种液态介质绝缘性能的比对

利用自行研制的纳秒脉冲实验平台(输出脉冲前沿30 ns,半宽百纳秒)和标准介电强度测试仪,对变压器油、甘油、去离子水、Galden HT200四种液体绝缘介质在直流与纳秒脉冲下的击穿特性进行了实验研究与结果比对,结果表明:在直流与纳秒脉冲下,Galden HT200均具有最高的击穿场强,且两种情况下均比变压器油高出40%以上;纳秒脉冲下,Galden HT200与变压器油的击穿场强均提高6.5~7倍,Galden HT200击穿过程耗时最短(ns量级),其次是变压器油(20 ns),然后依次为甘油(45 ns)和去离子水(70 ns);多次放电后,粘度系数最大的甘油更易在电极间隙处聚集碳化放电产物,粘度系数较小的Galden HT200和去离子水则无明显痕迹,但二者放电过程会产生明显的冲击波,多次放电后易造成间隙电极松动。     

Energy and mass compositions of the plasma of a nanosecond coaxial vacuum surface discharge

The energy and mass compositions of the plasma generated by a nanosecond coaxial discharge on the surface of high-pressure polyethylene at different polarities of the central electrode with and without a vacuum gap between the dielectric and the peripheral electrode are investigated. It is shown that a nanosecond coaxial discharge on a dielectric surface is an efficient source of high-energy multicharged ions.     

The influence of electrode gap width on plasma properties of diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge in nitrogen

In this work we have studied the influence of electrode gap width (inter-electrode distance) on plasma properties of the diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge. The outer conditions and discharge configuration can substantially influence properties of the discharge. Better understanding of these effects can lead to optimization of the discharge parameters for industrial applications. In this work the discharge was operated in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. The electrode gap width was varied in the range from 0.6 to 2.2 mm. The input voltage, electrode temperature and gas flow was kept constant for all cases. Plasma parameters were studied by the means of time and space resolved optical emission spectroscopy and oscilloscopic measurements. These measurements gave us time and space distribution of discharge luminosity (e.g. intensities of second positive and first negative systems of nitrogen) and 1D-spatial profiles of rotational and vibrational temperature of nitrogen.     

Spatiotemporal parameters of the X-ray radiation from a diffuse atmospheric-pressure discharge

A multichannel photoelectron technique is used to study the X-ray radiation emitted from a nanosecond diffuse discharge initiated in atmospheric pressure air in a point-plane electrode system with a gap width varying from 6 to 12 cm. The discharge is initiated by a voltage pulse with a moderate rate of rise of 1.1 × 10¹³ V/s and an amplitude of 160–280 kV. The radiation detected is found to be anisotropic bremsstrahlung of electrons accelerated to 30–80 keV in the near-cathode region early at the conduction phase. The observed features of the radiation and electrical behavior of the discharge are explained by strengthening of the near-cathode field owing to a short-term disappearance of the space-charge-related screening when the discharge passes from the bridging phase to the conduction one.     

大气中介质阻挡放电发光的时间特性

采用光学方法测量了大气中介质阻挡放电丝极模式的时间特性，揭示了介质阻挡放电动力学过程的时间规律。实验表明，在驱动电压的产周内的放电团簇是由多个放电脉冲构成的，放电脉冲的持续时间为30-50ns，相邻放电脉冲之间的间歇时间为几百ns。本工作的结果对介质阻挡放电的应用有重要意义。