Optical emission spectroscopy of point-plane corona and back-corona discharges in air

Results of spectroscopic investigations and current-voltage characteristics of corona discharge and back discharge on fly-ash layer, generated in point-plane electrode geometry in air at atmospheric pressure are presented in the paper. The characteristics of both discharges are similar but differ in the current and voltage ranges of all the discharge forms distinguished during the experiments. Three forms of back discharge, for positive and negative polarity, were investigated: glow, streamer and low-current back-arc. In order to characterize ionisation and excitation processes in back discharge, the emission spectra were measured and compared with those obtained for normal corona discharge generated in the same electrode configuration but with fly ash layer removed. The emission spectra were measured in two discharge zones: near the tip of needle electrode and near the plate. Visual forms of the discharge were recorded with digital camera and referred to current-voltage characteristics and emission spectra. The measurements have shown that spectral lines emitted by back discharge depend on the form of discharge and the discharge current. From the comparison of the spectral lines of back and normal discharges an effect of fly ash layer on the discharge morphology can be determined. The recorded emission spectra formed by ionised gas and plasma near the needle electrode and fly ash layer are different. It should be noted that in back arc emission, spectral lines of fly ash layer components can be distinguished. On the other hand, in needle zone, the emission of high intensity N₂ second positive system and NO _γ lines can be noticed. Regardless of these gaseous lines, also atomic lines of dust layer were present in the spectrum. The differences in spectra of back discharge for positive and negative polarities of the needle electrode have been explained by considering the kind of ions generated in the crater in fly ash layer. The aim of these studies is to better understand the discharge processes encountered in electrostatic precipitators.     

Corona and back discharges in flue-gas simulating mixture

Results of spectroscopic investigations and current–voltage characteristics of electrical discharges between a needle and plate electrodes in a gas mixture simulating flue gases from coal fired power plants at atmospheric pressure are presented in the paper. In these investigations, back discharge was generated at the plate electrode covered with fly ash layer in order to simulate the conditions similar to those in electrostatic precipitators. To characterize the physical processes in back discharges, the emission spectra were measured and compared with those obtained for normal corona discharge generated in the same electrode configuration but with fly ash removed from the electrode. The emission spectra provide information on elemental and molecular composition of the layer. It was also shown that discharge characteristics in flue gas are quite different from those occurring in ambient air.     

Back discharge in multipoint-plane geometry in flue gases

The paper presents investigations of back discharge occurring in air and flue gases produced by the process of burning of liquefied petroleum gas or charcoal. The discharge was generated between a multineedle electrode and plate covered with fly ash layer. The aim of this work was to determine the effects of back discharge in multineedle-to-plate electrode configuration on the fly ash layer covering the plate electrode. Level of NO_x and CO emission was also measured. It was found that the chemical composition of flue gas can be changed in the domains where the back discharge occurs, for example, additional amounts of nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂) are produced and also carbon oxide (CO) was produced at higher discharge current.     

Laboratory studies of back-discharge in fly ash

The back-discharge is a type of discharge that takes place in the presence of corona discharge and occurs at an electrode covered with a dielectric layer of resistivity higher than about 10⁸ Ω m. Back-discharge can be observed in electrostatic precipitators when dust covering the collection electrode has low conductivity. In this paper, the studies of back-discharge generated in ambient air, in point-to-plane geometry with the plate electrode covered with fly ash are presented. The discharge is characterised in terms of its visual forms, current–voltage characteristics, and light emission spectra. Three forms of back-discharge were investigated: glow discharge, streamers, and low-current back-arc discharge. The current of the back-arc discharge was only a few milliamps. The discharge was stabilised by a high series resistance. It was noted that the voltage of ignition of the back-discharge for negative polarity is lower than for a positive one. Spectroscopic measurements of emission spectra provided information on elements present in the discharge column. The elements present in the fly ash, including toxic metals, can be re-entrained into the gas as particles or can be emitted as ions or neutrals during the discharge, and can decrease the collection efficiency of electrostatic precipitators. These elements were detected in the emission spectra. The effect of the discharge on the fly ash layer was also discussed. It was observed that sinter-like leftovers remain in the dust layer after a back-arc discharge.     

针-板和针-水电极大气压直流辉光放电的光谱特性

利用光谱学方法,对针-水电极和针-板电极直流辉光放电特性进行了比较研究。结果发现两种装置产生的放电都有明显的分区现象, 从阴极到阳极分别为负辉区、阴极暗区、正柱区和阳极辉区。针-板电极放电中可以清晰地观测到阳极暗区, 而针-水电极放电阳极暗区不明显。对比两种放电的伏安特性曲线,发现放电电压均随电流增大而减小,但相同电流下针-水电极间的电压大于针-板电极间的电压。由于伏安特性具有负斜率,且放电电流密度介于10-5～10-4 A·cm-2,说明两种装置中的放电均处于正常辉光放电阶段。在正常辉光放电的范围内比较两种放电的发射光谱, 发现发射光谱中都包含N₂的第二正带系(含波长为337.1 nm的谱线)和N+₂的第一负带系(含波长为391.4 nm的谱线),但相对强度不同。利用光谱学方法对放电发射谱的谱线强度比I_391.4／I_337.1和振动温度进行了空间分辨测量,发现相同位置处针-水电极放电的谱线强度比要比针-板电极放电的大,并且相同位置处针-水电极放电的振动温度高。     

等离子体羽中氧原子的光谱强度分布

大气压等离子体羽放电产生的低温等离子体由于不需要真空装置,可以对复杂材料进行三维处理等,在工业上具有广泛的应用前景。本工作利用等离子体针放电装置在大气压空气中产生了稳定的等离子体羽。通过光谱测量,发现等离子体羽发射谱中存在777.5和844.6nm的氧原子谱线。这表明在大气压空气放电中产生了具有高化学活性的氧原子。通过光谱学方法研究了氧原子谱线强度的空间分布,发现靠近电极处氧原子谱线强度远大于其他位置。为了对这一现象进行解释,利用光电倍增管对等离子体羽的发光信号进行了空间分辨测量,发现靠近电极处发光信号宽度远大于其他位置的发光信号宽度。这些结果对大气压空气等离子体羽在杀菌消毒等领域的应用具有重要意义。     

脉冲金属氢化物真空弧放电等离子体发射光谱特性

利用发射光谱方法对真空弧离子源放电等离子体特性进行了诊断。同时,基于局域热力学平衡等离子体的发射光谱理论,建立了等离子体的发射光谱拟合模型,对真空弧放电等离子体光谱进行了分析。针对TiH真空弧离子源,分别对330~340nm与498~503nm范围内Ti+离子与Ti原子的发射光谱进行了对比拟合,获得了较好的符合度,解决了传统Boltzmann斜率法计算等离子体温度需要孤立的不受附近谱线干扰的线状光谱的困难。最后,利用该方法计算了真空弧离子源在不同放电条件下的等离子体发射光谱、等离子体密度与温度参数。结果表明,TiH真空弧放电等离子体温度在1eV左右,同时,放电所产生的氢原子要远远大于金属原子,并且随着真空弧离子源馈入功率的增加,TiH电极中解吸附出来的氢比蒸发出来的金属增加得更多,这有利于TiH离子源在中子发生器方面的应用。     

大气压介质阻挡放电的光谱研究

使用水电极介质阻挡放电装置,分别在大气压空气和氦气中实现了稳定的高气压放电。通过水电极观察两种气体的放电,发现大气压空气中放电为空间随机分布的微放电丝,等离子体是不均匀的,而在氦气中放电没有微放电丝,空间分布比较均匀。比较而言,这种均匀放电产生的等离子体具有更广泛的工业应用前景。对两种气体中放电的电流波形进行了比较,发现空气中放电的电流脉冲在时间上是随机出现的而氦气中放电的电流脉冲在时间上具有周期性,并且空气中放电脉冲宽度约为几十ns而氦气中放电的电流持续时间较长,脉冲宽度大约为1μs。文章还对两种气体中介质阻挡放电发射光谱进行了研究,结果表明大气压氦气中均匀放电的N+₂(B2Σ+_u→X2Σ+_g)谱线391.4nm很强而在大气压空气放电中此光谱线很弱。这些研究结果对高气压条件下均匀放电的实现和大气压辉光放电的工业应用具有重要意义。     

Corona discharge in electrospraying

The paper presents investigations of current–voltage and light emission characteristics of electrospraying of various liquids in atmospheric air. The spectroscopic measurements have shown that the onset of corona discharge coincides with the onset of electrospraying, with the voltage increasing. The emission intensity in selected spectral lines during electrospraying depends on spraying mode, discharge power and a kind of liquid. In the specific experimental conditions in air, mainly the N₂ second positive system, which is visible as violet faint light, has been recorded. The emission intensity of other gaseous species, which could be product of electrosprayed molecules decomposition or dissociation, was at very low level for the voltages applied, i.e., for glow or onset streamer discharges. From the measured light emission spectra of discharges from capillary nozzle and liquid jet, the dependence of the amplitude of selected spectral lines on capillary-nozzle voltage has been determined and it was found that this relation can be approximated by a third-degree polynomial function. This approximation has been supported by theoretical considerations. The presented results support the hypothesis that faint electrical discharges (glow, onset streamers) usually occur during and are inherent to electrospraying.     

介质阻挡放电点燃大气压直流均匀放电的光谱研究

由于大气压均匀放电等离子体在工业领域具有广泛的应用前景,为了获得大尺寸的大气压均匀等离子体,采用氩气作为工作气体,在大气压空气环境中利用同轴介质阻挡放电点燃了针-板电极间的大气隙(气隙宽度达到5 cm)直流均匀放电。研究发现,同轴介质阻挡放电能够有效降低针-板电极间的击穿电压。该均匀放电由等离子体柱、等离子体羽、阴极暗区和阴极辉区组成。其中等离子体柱和阴极辉区都是连续放电。而等离子体羽不同位置的放电是不同时的。事实上,等离子体羽放电是由从阴极向着等离子体柱移动的发光光层(即等离子体子弹)叠加而成。利用电学方法测量了放电的伏安特性曲线,发现其与低气压正常辉光放电类似,均具有负斜率。采集了放电的发射光谱,发现存在N₂第二正带系、氩原子和氧原子谱线。通过Boltzmann plot方法对放电等离子体电子激发温度进行了空间分辨测量,发现等离子体柱的电子激发温度比等离子体羽的电子激发温度低。通过分析放电机制,对以上现象进行了定性解释。这些研究结果对大气压均匀放电等离子体源的研制和工业应用具有重要意义。     

常压介质阻挡放电等离子体发射光谱的检测分析

以常压介质阻挡放电等离子体作为研究对象,在常温常压条件下使用介质阻挡放电光谱诊断装置,得到N2第二正系跃迁和Ar原子发射谱线。通过对放电光谱的检测分析,可以察知常压介质阻挡放电等离子体的特性,并可运用同一元素谱线的相对强度来诊断电子激发温度等物理参量,以达到对材料表面改性过程的实时监控,工作的结果对常压介质阻挡放电及其在材料改性的应用中具有重要的意义。     

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.     

激光诱导击穿空气等离子体时间分辨特性的光谱研究

空气等离子体的时间行为对空气环境下激光诱导等离子体形成过程的研究有重要意义.本文将纳秒Nd:YAG脉冲激光(1064 nm)聚焦于一个大气压的空气中,诱导其产生等离子体.利用具有纳秒时间分辨功能的PI-MAX-II型ICCD,采用时间分辨光谱方法,研究了大气环境下激光诱导等离子体的时间行为.大气环境下的激光诱导等离子体光谱广泛分布于300—900 nm范围内,并且是由带状光谱和线状光谱叠加而成的.根据美国国家标准与技术研究院原子发射谱线数据库,对等离子体光谱中的氧、氮、氢等元素的特征谱线进行了识别和归属.给出了激光诱导击穿大气等离子体光谱随时间演化的直观图像,根据空气等离子体发射谱线计算了等离子体电子温度和等离子体电子密度.这些结果对于提高在大气环境下进行的在线测量结果的准确性和精确性具有重要的科学意义.     

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.     

Optical and Kinetic Characteristics of an Atmospheric Pressure Pulsed Discharge in Helium with Iron Vapor

Technical Physics - The emission spectrum of a near-cathode plasma of a pulsed discharge in atmospheric pressure helium reveals spectral lines of electrode material. Numerical simulation of the...     

大气压氩直流微放电光谱研究

微空心阴极放电或微放电是一种能够实现高气压下放电的有效方法。利用不锈钢空心针作阴极,不锈钢网作阳极,进行了大气压氩直流微放电实验研究。测量了大气压氩微放电光谱,发现氩气的发 射谱线主要集中在690～860 nm范围,且全部为氩原子4p—4s的跃迁。实验研究了不同放电电流、气体压强、气体流量与谱线强度之间的关系,发现谱线强度随放电电流、气体流量增加均增加,而谱线强 度随压强变化呈现不同特征：谱线强度随压强的增加先增加后降低,在13.3 kPa时强度最大。此外,选用跃迁波长为763.51和772.42 nm的两条光谱线,利用发射谱线强度比值法测量了氩气微放电等离子 体的电子激发温度。结果显示,其电子激发温度处于2 000～2 800 K之间,且随放电电流的增加而增加,随气体压强和气体流量的增加而降低。     

DC discharges in atmospheric air for bio-decontamination – spectroscopic methods for mechanism identification

Three types of DC electrical discharges in atmospheric air (streamer corona, transient spark and glow discharge) were tested for bio-decontamination of bacteria and yeasts in water solution, and spores on surfaces. Static vs. flowing treatment of contaminated water were compared, in the latter the flowing water either covered the grounded electrode or passed through the high voltage needle electrode. The bacteria were killed most efficiently in the flowing regime by transient spark. Streamer corona was efficient when the treated medium flew through the active corona region. The spores on plastic foil and paper surfaces were successfully inactivated by negative corona. The microbes were handled and their population evaluated by standard microbiology cultivation procedures. The emission spectroscopy of the discharges and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) absorption spectrometric detection of the products of lipid peroxidation of bacterial cell membranes indicated a major role of radicals and reactive oxygen species among the bio-decontamination mechanisms.     

低电压下氮气放电的发射光谱分析

建立了一套直流放电产生氮气等离子体装置,该装置以碳纳米管修饰ITO电极为阳极,铝平板为阴极,两极间距~80 μm。在室温低电压(低于150 V)对氮气进行气体放电,利用发射光谱法对氮气放电过程中的活性物种进行了诊断研究。在直流电压下,观测到氮气发射光谱中能量最强最清晰的谱带N₂(C3Π_u),强度比较弱的Gaydon’s Green带系N₂(H₃Φ_u-G3Δ_g),以及820 nm附近氮原子的发射谱线(4p-4p0),发现氮分子的亚稳态是导致一系列激发态氮原子和氮气电离的主要因素,与交流电下(1.1 kV)产生的发射光谱相比,直流电下氮原子谱线光谱较强,且在500~800 nm范围检测到一个宽的分子谱带。考察了氧气与氢气对氮气发射光谱的影响,氧气对氮气的激发态有猝灭作用,使氮气发光强度降低,但其发射光谱图的谱型相似,都检测到氮气的第二正带系、Gaydon’s Green带系及氮原子谱线。当氮气与氢气的体积比为1∶1时,氮气的第二正带系及Gaydon’s Green带系都会受到很大的影响,说明加入的氢气可抑制氮等离子体激活,导致氮气的发光强度明显减弱,Gaydon’s Green System消失不见。碳纳米管修饰的ITO电极能使击穿电压降低,在10 V的低电压下,通过光电倍增管可观察到气体弱电离产生的光信号。     

Spectroscopic studies of electric discharges in electrospraying

The paper presents spectroscopic studies of electrical discharges, which take place in the electrospraying, and discusses the effect of electrical discharge on the spraying process. The experiments show that spectral lines, characteristic for the elements and compounds dissolved in the liquid to be sprayed can be identified in the emission spectra.     

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.