Parameters of transverse-longitudinal discharge in supersonic airflow

Plasma of transverse-longitudinal direct-current discharge in a supersonic aerodynamic channel with a reverse step is studied experimentally. For deposited powers of 2–3 kW, the gas temperature in the discharge achieves 2000 ± 500 K. The results obtained testify to the applicability of discharge plasma for the ignition of supersonic air-fuel flows.     

On non-hydrodynamic properties of the electron gas in the plasma of a DC discharge

The linearized one-dimensional Boltzmann equation was solved for the electron gas in the positive column of a low-current DC-discharge. A sinusoidal perturbation of the electric field was assumed in the column and the perturbed distribution function was found. The problem was solved both numerically and approximately. It is shown that in the absence of an electron-electron interaction strong deviations from the solution of the hydrodynamic quasihomogeneous equations appear for certain wavelengths, which were called resonant. These wavelengths almost exactly agree with the characteristic wavelengths of the ionization waves of the s- and p-variety. A physical interpretation of this resonant behaviour is given and its connection with the long correlation length in a plasma with non-interacting electons is pointed out.Na Slovance 2, Praha 8, Czechoslovakia.     

Longitudinal DC electric discharge in a supersonic air flow

A longitudinal dc electric discharge in a submerged high-pressure supersonic air jet is described. Photographs of the discharge are provided. The experimental voltage across the discharge gap and the discharge current are given for two resistances of the resistor that limits the discharge current over a certain range of the discharge channel length along the air flow. The current-voltage discharge characteristic is provided at a constant discharge length. The main discharge characteristics are obtained from a comparison of the experimental and theoretical results calculated on the basis of the simplest model.     

Combustion of a supersonic flowing propane-air mixture within a DC longitudinal-transverse discharge

The findings of experimental investigations on the combustion of a supersonic flowing propane-air mixture with initiation by a dc discharge are given. It was found that the pattern of combustion depended on a number of initial conditions associated with the generation of plasma and with the external parameters of the supersonic flow.     

氩直流辉光放电等离子体中电子运动及能量的模拟

采用自动调节时间步长的蒙特卡罗模拟,对平行板放电系统中的氩气直流辉光放电系统中的等离子体区内电子的运动过程进行了跟踪和抽样。统计结果表明:在我们的实验条件下,等离子体中的电子在电场作用下出现明显的轴向漂移;在40000次抽样中,出现能量为E的电子数目随能量E增大呈下降趋势,场强增大将引起能量分布展宽和电子平均能量增加;即使场强达到15V·cm-1,等离子体激发和电离仍是很少的;场强和气压都能明显改变电子的平均自由程。     

Anomalous scattering of a relativistic electron beam in a beam created plasma

Measurements of the velocity angular distribution of a relativistic electron beam (0.8 MV, 6 kA, 150 ns) after propagation through hydrogen gas are presented. At a pressure of 25 Pa scattering of the beam electrons into a preferential angular interval is observed. At 190 Pa anomalously large scattering is observed, up to an angular width of 90°, during about 30 ns.     

Accelerating voltage and electron temperature in a FXR discharge

X-ray quantum energies as well as electron temperatures in different parts of the discharge column in a flash X-ray (FXR) discharge have been estimated. It is found that the energy of the X-radiation is about 16 keV very near the cathode surface and about 30 keV at the anode during the first pinching of the discharge column (Initial voltage 20 kV). The electron temperature in the column is found to be 2 to 2.5 keV during the pinch interval, thereafter it rapidly decreases. A dark space is localized to a region just outside the anode surface. This dark region follows the anode when the inter-electrode spacing is varied.     

Detonation of supersonic propane-air mixture by high-voltage plasma discharge

The detonation combustion of a supersonic flow of propane-air mixture, initiated by a pulsed discharge of a magnetoplasma compressor, is obtained in experiment. A backward wave of supersonic combustion propagating with a velocity of 450 m/s against the flow is observed.     

Amplifying discharge instabilities in the emission channel of a plasma electron emitter

We consider the amplification of oscillations of the plasma parameters in the emission channel of an electron source with a plasma emitter. The relationship between the modulation level of the emission current and the oscillations of the concentration and potential of the emitting plasma is determined. The amplification of the discharge instabilities is seen to be a function of the ratio of the size of the boundary layer in the channel to the channel radius. The amplification factor is calculated as a function of the emission current and the accelerating voltage. The change in the plasma parameters at the emission boundary for a plasma shift in the channel is taken into account.Tomsk Academy of Control Systems and Electronics. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 73–76, Feburary, 1994.     

Dusty plasma structures in He-Kr DC glow discharge

Ion drift in gas mixtures has certain properties that can be used to generate ion flows with desired characteristics. For example, when the field is strong, ion heating is significant, and there is a large difference in atomic weight between ions and atoms, the ion velocity distribution can be highly anisotropic. Ion distribution anisotropy, in turn, can cause a substantial change in properties of dust structures in plasmas. Experiments on dusty plasma structures in glow discharge in mixtures of light and heavy gases (helium and krypton) are performed, and results of numerical simulations of ion and electron drift in the mixture are presented.     

Measurements of electron density, temperature and photoionization cross sections of the excited states of neon in a discharge plasma

In the present work emission and absorption spectroscopy have been used to determine the plasma parameters of neon in a hollow cathode discharge lamp. The excitation temperature is determined using the intensity ratio method and Boltzmann's plot method whereas the electron density is determined from the Stark broadening of the spectral lines. The behavior of the optogalvanic signal as a function of laser energy has been studied for three transitions from the 2p⁵3s [1/2]₂ metastable state following ΔJ=ΔK=0, ±1 dipole selection rules. The saturation technique has been used to measure the photoionization cross section from three intermediate states 2p⁵3p′ [1/2]_1, 2p⁵3p′ [3/2]₂ and 2p⁵3p [5/2]₃ up to the 2p^{5 2}P_1/2 ionization threshold.     

空心针板放电等离子体气体温度和振动温度研究

使用空心针板放电装置,以氩气作为导入气体,在大气环境下产生了1.6~3 cm波长的等离子体炬。利用发射光谱法,研究了等离子体炬弧根和弧梢处的气体温度和振动温度,以及它们随气体流量的变化。等离子体气体温度通过对OH基309 nm附近的谱带进行拟合得到,等离子体振动温度由氮分子第二正带系C3Πu—B3Πg计算得到。实验发现弧根和弧梢处的气体温度相等,并随着气体流量的增大而下降。当气体流量从3.0 mL.min-1增大到6.5 mL.min-1时,气体温度由350 K下降到300 K。当气体流量较小(如3.0 mL.min-1)时,弧梢处的振动温度(1 950 K)高于弧根处的振动温度(1 755 K)。随着气体流量的增大,弧梢处与弧根处的振动温度均下降,但弧梢处下降速率较快。当气体流量较大时,二者趋于相等。     

High-voltage pulsed discharge in an electron source with a plasma cathode

The nature of and mechanism for producing a high-voltage discharge in an electron source with a plasma cathode are investigated. The possibility of generating pulsed electron currents with an amplitude of 10³–10⁴ A and a length of 10^–6 sec is considered.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 117–121, October, 1973.The authors thank B. M. Koval'chuk for help in developing the experimental arrangement and G. A. Mesyates for constant attention to the work and discussion of the results.     

The role of vibrational temperature variations in a pulsed dielectric barrier discharge plasma device

The use of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmas has become a practical way to carry out surface treatment where precise control of the plasma parameters, such as rotational and vibrational temperatures (T_rot and T_vib), is required. As the T_vib of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet appears to be the most important parameter related to the improvement of surface treatments, in this work, we analysed two methods to increase the values of T_vib in a DBD plasma jet device. One of the methods is to reduce the exit size (ø) of the DBD reactor, which results in an increase in the measured T_vib values, due to an increase in the pressure inside the reactor. The other method is to change the gas flow rate (GFR) used to produce the plasma jets. This leads to a T_vib reduction when the GFR is increased in the case of using helium or nitrogen as the working gas, but the opposite happens (an increase in the T_vib values) when argon is used, with different phenomena causing the variation of T_vib in each situation.     

Microwave streamer discharge in a supersonic air flow

Data are presented from experiments on the ignition of a pulsed, triggered microwave streamer discharge at the focus of a cm-band TEM wave in an immersed supersonic air jet. It is shown experimentally that for velocities of the air in the jet up to 500 m/s, the structure of the discharge remains qualitatively unchanged and retains its streamer character. The finite size of the transverse cross section of the jet determines some features of the discharge. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 14–18 (November 1999)     

The influence of the electron temperature gradient on the space-charge field in a d.c. discharge

The deviations of the space-charge field from its equilibrium value in the d.c. discharge plasma is investigated, taking into account the influence of changed electron temperature. Starting from the plasma-equations, the corresponding steady-state solution in a linear, one-dimensional approximation is found, on the assumption that the ion density disturbance is known and given as a function of the space coordinate, constant in time or only slowly varying with time. As the changed electron temperature influences the electron density, the space-charge field disturbance is no longer restricted (within the limit of the Debye screening length) by the dimension of the positive ion disturbance as is the case of the temperature uninfluenced field. The space charge field now extends widely out of the place of the ion disturbance, the extension being given by the dimension of the electron temperature relaxation length, which in order of magnitude equals the quantityl ₁=2U _e0 /E ₀. A solution in a closed analytical form (25) is found in the case of a quasineutral plasma. Even in this case of zero Debye length, temperature lengthening of the spacecharge field relaxation takes place. The appropriate numerical examples are given for the case of final (non-zero) Debye length.The authors wish to thank J. Václavík and V. Zárybnický for their stimulating remarks and helpful discussion.     

Aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency discharge plasma and control of supersonic flow

In this paper, aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency(RF) discharge plasma are studied and a method is proposed for shock wave control based on RF discharge. Under the static condition, a RF diffuse glow discharge can be observed; under the supersonic inflow, the plasma is blown downstream but remains continuous and stable.Time-resolved schlieren is used for flow field visualization. It is found that RF discharge not only leads to continuous energy deposition on the electrode surface but also induces a compression wave. Under the supersonic inflow condition, a weak oblique shock wave is induced by discharge. Experimental results of the shock wave control indicate that the applied actuation can disperse the bottom structure of the ramp-induced oblique shock wave, which is also observed in the extracted shock wave structure after image processing. More importantly, this control effect can be maintained steadily due to the continuous high-frequency(MHz) discharge. Finally, correlations for schlieren images and numerical simulations are employed to further explore the flow control mechanism. It is observed that the vortex in the boundary layer increases after the application of actuation, meaning that the boundary layer in the downstream of the actuation position is thickened. This is equivalent to covering a layer of low-density smooth wall around the compression corner and on the ramp surface, thereby weakening the compressibility at the compression corner. Our results demonstrate the ability of RF plasma aerodynamic actuation to control the supersonic airflow.