An experimental study on the characterization of electric charge in electrostatic dust removal

Automatic dust removal using the electrostatic forces of electrodynamic screen (EDS) is an emerging method for mitigation of energy yield losses caused by dust accumulation on solar collectors. Both electric field distribution and dust particles' charge acquired during the removal process play pivotal roles in thorough evaluation of EDS performance. Previous studies have comprehensively analyzed the electric field distribution in EDS. In this paper we have conducted a number of experiments to examine how two EDS design parameters, electrode width and inter-electrode spacing, and two operational parameters, applied voltage and relative humidity, affect dust particles' charge. Sixteen EDS prototypes in two sets were developed and tested in a laboratory environment to study the acquired charge by dust particles via charge-to-mass ratio measurements. It has been shown that the charge-to-mass ratio is directly affected by the electric field intensity on an EDS surface. Furthermore, we have shown the detrimental impact of relative humidity on EDS performance. The results are advantageous in the evaluation of EDS design and its optimization to attain maximum dust removal efficiency.     

Measurement of dust grain charging in a laboratory plasma

The authors present an experimental system capable of causing dust grains to interact with a plasma in a well-controlled manner and measuring the accumulated charge. Results indicate that the measured charge accumulated on 0.1 μm diameter bismuth particles agrees to the first order with simple charging models. With further refinement of the diagnostic system, it is expected that detailed comparisons can be made with existing models     

A particle-in-cell simulation of dust charging and shielding in lowpressure glow discharges

The transport of particles (“dust”) in low pressure electrical glow discharges is being studied in regard to its role in contaminating silicon wafers during plasma etching and deposition. Particles (10 s nm-μm) negatively charge in glow discharges and, to first order, appear to be massively large negative ions around which sheaths develop. The forces on particles in plasmas include electrostatic (drift of charged particles in electric fields) and viscous ion drag. The latter force is momentum transfer from ions to particles by either collisions or orbital motion. This force critically depends on the charge on the particle and the shape of the sheath surrounding the particle. In this work, we report on a pseudoparticle-in-cell (PIC) simulation of the transport of electrons and ions in the vicinity of dust particles in low pressure glow discharges. The simulation produces the electrical charge on the dust particle, the sheath structure around the dust particle and the orbital dynamics of the ions. A companion molecular dynamics simulation uses these parameters to produce ion-dust and electron-dust particle cross sections for momentum transfer and collection. Results will be discussed for charge, sheath thickness, cross sections and viscous ion drag forces on dust particles as a function of radius and plasma parameters     

Electrostatic force of dust deposition originating from contact between particles and photovoltaic glass

Charged photovoltaic glass produces an electrostatic field. The electrostatic field exerts an electrostatic force on dust particles, thus making more dust particles deposited on the glass. In this paper, the contact electrification between the deposited dust particles and the photovoltaic glass is studied. Meanwhile, the surface charge density model of the photovoltaic glass and the electrostatic force of charged particles are analyzed. The results show that with the increasing of the particle impact speed and the inclination angle of the photovoltaic panel, the charges on particles increase to different degrees.Under a given condition, the electrostatic forces acting on the charged particles at different positions above the glass plate form a bell-shaped distribution at a macro level, and present a maximum value in the center of the plate. As the distance between the particle and the charged glass decreases, the electrostatic force exerted on the particle increases significantly and fluctuates greatly. However, its mean value is still higher than the force caused by gravity and the adhesion force,reported by some studies. Therefore, we suggest that photovoltaic glass panels used in the severe wind-sand environment should be made of an anti-static transparent material, which can lessen the dust particles accumulated on the panels.     

Melting of strongly coupled,negatively charged,two-dimensional dust cluster: The role of charge fluctuation amplitude

Structural and melting characteristics are investigated for negatively charged dust particles in the presence of a two-dimensional electrostatic parabolic confinement potential. For a restricted number of dust particles that are subject to the permanent flow of electrons and ions, numerical simulation is conducted taking into account the random charge fluctuation. The amplitude of the charge fluctuation affects the ground-state configuration and melting characteristics of a finite number of particles interacting through Coulomb potential. The melting temperature decreases when the amplitude of the charge fluctuation increases as a result of particles' strong repulsive interaction.     

高效黑硅电池组件反光板角度的模拟研究

传统的光伏组件为了实现发电功率最大化,安装时具有一定倾角,但在使用过程中仍有一部分光会被组件表面反射到空中造成浪费.本文设计了一种带反光板结构的高效黑硅太阳能电池组件,多角度吸光的黑硅组件配合反光板结构可以充分利用反射光线.对反光板和黑硅组件夹角进行了模拟计算,结果表明,当光伏组件安装倾角为34时,反光板安装角度为16.5最佳,同等光照条件下使得电池的发电功率增加了约39%.     

尘埃颗粒与等离子体鞘层相互作用的数值模拟

通过求解一维稳态的尘埃等离子体鞘层模型,得到了等离子体鞘层势、正离子密度、电子密度和尘埃颗粒密度随一维横向的分布,Bohm判据及鞘层边界无量纲Bohm速度随尘埃密度的变化曲线,尘埃颗粒的带电量和尘埃密度的关系,尘埃颗粒的温度对尘埃颗粒自身在鞘层中分布的影响。结果表明,随着尘埃密度的增加,鞘层的厚度在减小,鞘层内的电子密度在下降,而且尘埃颗粒的带电量也在逐渐减少;随着尘埃温度的增加,鞘层的厚度减小,电子密度下降,而且鞘层附近的尘埃颗粒在逐渐增多。     

Linear and nonlinear excitations in complex plasmas with nonadiabatic dust charge fluctuation and dust size distribution

Both linear and nonlinear excitation in dusty plasmas have been investigated including the nonadiabatic dust charge fluctuation and Gaussian size distribution dust particles. A linear dispersion relation and a Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers equation governing the dust acoustic shock waves are obtained. The relevance of the instability of wave and the wave evolution to the dust size distribution and nonadiabatic dust charge fluctuation is illustrated both analytically and numerically. The numerical results show that the Gaussian size distribution of dust particles and the nonadiabatic dust charge fluctuation have strong common influence on the propagation of both linear and nonlinear excitations.     

Dynamics of induction charging for multiple particle agglomerations with a thin conducting surface layer

In electrostatic applications, particles are typically stacked in an arbitrary array. In this paper, multiple particle agglomerations with a finite volume conductivity, surface conductivity and permittivity have been simulated. Upon exposure to the electric field, electric shielding can occur due to the proximity of other particles, which greatly reduces the maximum accumulated charge and affects the charging time. All results have been obtained using the COMSOL commercial software. The simulation results show that shielding the electric field from a given particle reduces its saturation charge and the rate of charge accumulation was mainly affected by the volume and surface conductivities.     

Effect of Anisotropic Ion Pressure on Solitary Waves in Magnetized Dusty Plasmas

The propagation of linear and nonlinear dust ion acoustic waves (DIAWs) are studied in a collisionless magnetized plasma which consists of warm ions having anisotropic thermal pressure, nonthermal (energetic) electrons and static dust particles of positive and negative charge polarity. The anisotropic ion pressure is defined using double adiabatic Chew‐Golberger‐Low (CGL) theory. In the linear regime, the propagation properties of the two possible modes are investigated via ion pressure anisotropy, dust particle polarity and nonthermality of electrons. Using reductive method Zakharov‐Kuznetsov (ZK) equation is derived for the propagation of two dimensional electrostatic dust ion acoustic solitary waves in dusty plasmas. It is found that both compressive and rarefactive solitons are formed in presence of nonthermal electrons using Cairn's distribution [R.A. Cairns, A.A. Mamun, R. Bingham, R.O. Dendy, R. Bostrom, C.M.C. Nairn and P.K. Shukla, Geophys.Res. Lett. 22 , 2709 (1995)] in the system. The ion pressure anisotropy, nonthermality of electrons and charge polarity of the dust particles have significant effects on the amplitude and width of the dust ion acoustic solitary waves in such anisotropic nonthermal magnetized dusty plasmas. The numerical results are also presented for illustration. Our finding is applicable to space dusty plasma regimes having anisotropic ion pressure and nonthermal electrons. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Acoustic modes in a dusty plasma

The propagation of the dust ion acoustic and dust acoustic modes in a dusty plasma is studied. The effect of the coupling of the charge fluctuation on the dust particles to the modes is taken into account self-consistently. It is found that the charge fluctuation leads to frequency down shift as well as dissipation of the modes. For the dust ion acoustic modes, these are significant only when the frequency characterizing the rate of capture of electrons by the dust particles in the equilibrium state is of the order of the frequency of the mode, and the mode can propagate without significant dissipation only when its frequency is well above this characteristic frequency. For the dust acoustic modes, these are significant only when the frequency characterizing the rate of capture of ions by the dust particles in the equilibrium state is of the order of the frequency of the mode, and the mode can propagate without significant dissipation only when its frequency is well above this characteristic frequency.     

Specifications of dust-ion-acoustic shock waves affected by dust charge variation in four-component dissipative quantum plasma

ABSTRACT

Nonlinear propagation of dust-ion-acoustic shock waves in an unmagnetized, collisionless four-component quantum plasma containing electrons, positrons, ions and negatively charged dust grains affected by dust charge variations and viscosity of ions is studied using quantum hydrodynamic model. Considering dust charge variation give rise to calculating of charging currents of the plasma particles. These currents have been calculated with orbit limited motion theory and using Fermi-distribution functions or Boltzmann–Maxwell distribution depending on quantum or classical particles, respectively. The basic characteristics of quantum dust-ion-acoustic shock waves are investigated by deriving Korteweg–de Vries–Burgers equation under the reductive perturbation method. Depending on the relative values of the dispersive and dissipative coefficients, oscillatory and monotonic shock waves can propagate in the plasma model. The effect of chemical potential and density of dust particles on the shock wave’s height and thickness is investigated. In addition, the critical value of H (H_c) is calculated and it is shown that for R?>?0 compressive shock waves and for R?<?0 rarefactive ones can exist. The present study is applicable to researchers on quantum nonlinear structures in dense astrophysical objects and ultra-small micro- and nano-electronic devices.     

Random charge fluctuation effect on strongly correlated dust particles confined in two dimensions

Random charge fluctuation effect is investigated for positively charged strongly coupled dust particles. The dust particles are moving in two dimensions and are confined by a parabolic potential. Using the Monte Carlo method, the effect of charge fluctuation is investigated for a finite number of particles interacting through a screened Yukawa potential. It is found that the charge fluctuation corresponds to an additional heating of the system giving rise to a change on the background configurations as well as on the melting characteristics.     

Levitation of charged macroparticles in the anode region of a glow discharge

Levitation of dust particles in the anode region of a dc glow discharge was observed for the first time. A dust cloud of several tens of particles formed at a distance of several millimeters above the central part of the anode. When the discharge parameters were varied, the shape of the cloud and its position above the anode varied. An analysis of the experimental conditions revealed that these particles are positively charged in contrast to other experiments on the levitation of dust particles in a gas-discharge plasma. An estimate of the particle charge taking into account processes of electron emission from their surface is consistent with results of measurements of the electric field strength.     

Ultrahigh charging of dust particles in a nonequilibrium plasma

Charging of dust particles in a plasma with the two-temperature energy distribution of electrons has been studied. It has been shown that the dust-particle potential divided by the electron temperature decreases with increasing electron temperature in the plasma with cold ions. Owing to this behavior, the potential of the dustparticle surface increases with the electron temperature more slowly than the linear function and is lower than the electron temperature (divided by the elementary charge) for T _e > 5.5 eV in hydrogen and for T _e > 240 eV in argon. The fraction of fast electrons at which these electrons begin to contribute to the charge of dust particles has been determined. It has been shown that the charge of micron particles can reach 10⁶ elementary charges. The effect of the cold and thermal field emission on the charge of dust particles has been analyzed. The possibility of obtaining ultrahigh charges (to 10⁷ elementary charges on dust particles with a radius of 50–100 μm irradiated by a 25-keV 1-mA electron beam has been demonstrated.     

尘埃粒子在直流辉光放电阴极鞘层中的运动及悬浮

研究尘埃粒子在直流辉光放电阴极鞘层中的运动特性,并讨论了尘埃粒子携带的电荷、受到的各种力及悬浮位置等.尘埃粒子在鞘层中的运动特性及悬浮位置主要由它的尺寸大小和它所受到的各种力(重力、电场力、离子拖拽力、中性粒子拖拽力)决定.比较无碰撞鞘层和碰撞鞘层发现,尘埃粒子在碰撞鞘层中的悬浮位置更加靠近极板;比较下鞘(阴极板放在下方时的鞘层)和上鞘(阴极板放在上方时的鞘层)发现,在下鞘中只有同一半径的尘埃粒子悬浮在鞘层中的同一位置,而在上鞘中两种不同半径的尘埃粒子可以悬浮在鞘层中的同一位置.悬浮在鞘层中的尘埃粒子只可 关键词：     

Anomalous kinetic energy of a system of dust particles in a gas discharge plasma

The system of equations of motion of dust particles in a near-electrode layer of a gas discharge has been formulated taking into account fluctuations of the charge of a dust particle and the features of the nearelectrode layer of the discharge. The molecular dynamics simulation of the system of dust particles has been carried out. Performing a theoretical analysis of the simulation results, a mechanism of increasing the average kinetic energy of dust particles in the gas discharge plasma has been proposed. According to this mechanism, the heating of the vertical oscillations of dust particles is initiated by induced oscillations generated by fluctuations of the charge of dust particles, and the energy transfer from vertical to horizontal oscillations can be based on the parametric resonance phenomenon. The combination of the parametric and induced resonances makes it possible to explain an anomalously high kinetic energy of dust particles. The estimate of the frequency, amplitude, and kinetic energy of dust particles are close to the respective experimental values.     

Nonlinear electrostatic waves in inhomogeneous dense dusty magnetoplasmas

The nonlinear electrostatic drift waves are studied using quantum hydrodynamic model in dusty quantum magnetoplasmas. The dissipative effects due to collisions between ions and dust particles have also been taken into account. The Korteweg-de Vries Burgers (KdVB) like equation is derived and analytical solution is obtained using tanh method. The limiting cases of KdV type solitary waves, Burger type monotonic shock waves and oscillatory shock solutions are also presented. It is found that both hump and dip type solitary structures are possible in quantum dusty plasmas. However, amplitude and width of the nonlinear structure depend on the dust charge polarity and its concentration in electron-ion quantum plasmas. The monotonic shock like structure is independent of the quantum parameter. It is found that shock strength is increased in the presence of positively charged particles in comparison with negatively charged dust particles. The oscillatory shock structures are also obtained and it is found that change in dust charge polarity only shifts the phase of the oscillatory shock in plasmas. The numerical results are also presented for illustration.     

极区夏季中层顶区域尘埃粒子参数的研究

采用轨道受限运动方法研究了极区夏季中层顶区域的尘埃粒子电荷数与尘埃粒子半径。利用尘埃等离子体充电理论,建立了尘埃粒子充电方程模型,得到尘埃粒子充电时尘埃电荷数和半径的比值。然后结合ECT02实验数据,分析了发生极区中层夏季回波现象时极区中层顶区域尘埃粒子电荷数和半径的比值,并得到尘埃粒子的半径以及尘埃粒子所带电荷量。结果表明,极区中层顶区域的尘埃粒子平均所带电荷不到一个,它的半径约为20nm。