Measurements of force generated by a positive unipolar wire-to-plane corona discharge in air are compared with numerical simulations. The generated force does not depend on the ion or electron mobilities, preventing the influence of uncertainty and variation of these parameters. A method is described to simulate the voltage and charge distribution for a wire-to-plane set-up. This method enables the determination of the transition between unipolar and bipolar discharges. In the experimental set-up breakdown electric field of air reduces with increasing discharge current.
This paper focusses on the mean charge per particle of monodisperse submicron aerosol, charged by diffusion of unipolar ions in post-corona discharge. It aims to confirm and discuss the limits of considering a single value of Ni$\times$t to describe aerosol charging and then to present methods to control the size-charge relation. Three aerosol chargers, with different mixings of ion and aerosol flows are investigated. Despite comparable ion sources with discharge currents of a few tens of $μ$A, the size-charge relations differs from one charger to another due to different ion-aerosol mixing co…
Laser based lightning control holds a promising way to solve the problem of the long standing disaster of lightning strikes. But it is a challenging project due to insufficient understanding of the interaction between laser plasma channel and high voltage electric filed. In this work, a direct observation of laser guided corona discharge is reported. The high voltage corona discharge can be guided along laser plasma filament, and enhanced through the interaction with laser filaments. The fluorescence lifetime of laser filament guided corona discharge was measured to be several microseconds, wh…
In a DC point-to-plane corona discharge reactor, the mono filamentary streamers cross the inter electrode gap with a natural repetition frequency of some tens of kHz. The discharge phase (including the primary and the secondary streamers development) lasts only some hundred of nanoseconds while the post-discharge phases occurring between two successive discharge phases last some tens of microseconds. From the point of view of chemical activation, the discharge phases create radical and excited species located inside the very thin discharge filaments while during the post-discharge phases these…
In this work we are going to perform a simulation of a wire-cylinder-plate positive corona discharge in nitrogen gas, and compare our results with already published experimental results in air for the same structure. We have chosen to simulate this innovative geometry because it has been established experimentally that it can generate a thrust per unit electrode length transmitted to the gas of up to 0.35 N/m and is also able to induce an ion wind top velocity in the range of 8-9 m/s in air. In our model, the used ion source is a small diameter wire, which generates a positive corona discharge…
A major obstacle for the understanding of long electrical discharges is the complex dynamics of streamer coronas, formed by many thin conducting filaments. Building macroscopic models for these filaments is one approach to attain a deeper knowledge of the discharge corona. Here we present a one-dimensional, macroscopic model of a propagating streamer channel. We represent the streamer as an advancing finite-conductivity channel with a surface charge density at its boundary. This charge evolves self-consistently due to the electric current that flows through the streamer body and within a thin …
In this work, the effect of flashing corona enhancement by introducing Teflon dielectric enclosure in vicinity to the electrode assembly was studied. The discharge operating in air without the dielectric was able to operate within a very narrow voltage range of approximately 200 V. The pulsing frequency was below 1.2 kHz and current peaks were below 14 mA. Increasing the applied voltage onto the positive electrode beyond this range would result in sparks between the electrodes. When the Teflon tube enclosure surrounding the high voltage electrode was used, the window of stable flashing corona …
We construct a two-dimensional electric circuit model for creeping discharge. Two types of discharge, surface corona and surface leader, are modeled by a two-step function of conductance. Branched patterns of surface leaders surrounded by the surface corona appear in numerical simulation. The fractal dimension of branched discharge patterns is calculated by changing voltage and capacitance. We find that surface leaders often grow stepwise in time, as is observed in lightning leaders of thunder.
Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow induced by planar corona discharge in the wall boundary layer region is investigated experimentally and via a multiphysics computational model. The EHD phenomena has many potential engineering applications, its optimization requires a mechanistic understanding of the ion and flow transport. The corona EHD actuator consisting of two electrodes located in the wall boundary layer creates an EHD driven wall jet. The applied voltage between the electrodes is varied and the resulting effects in the charge density and flow field are measured. Constant current hotwire an…
In this work we are going to perform a simulation of a positive corona discharge in nitrogen gas, using two different asymmetric capacitor geometries. This work represents an improvement over previous work in order to accomplish higher ion wind velocities as well as stronger electrostatic propulsion forces on all the involved electrodes. In our model, the used positive ion source is a small diameter wire, which generates a positive corona discharge in nitrogen gas directed to the ground (or negatively charged) electrodes. By applying the fluid dynamic and electrostatic theories, all hydrodynam…
A microwave discharge of atmospheric pressure, maintained by focused CW radiation of a 24-GHz gyrotron in an argon flow in an external air atmosphere, was investigated. The electron temperature was determined by the current-voltage curve of a dual Langmuir probe placed in a plasma torch. The electron temperature was also estimated from plasma emission spectra within the framework of a coronal plasma model. The obtained values of the electron temperature coincide within the measurement accuracy. Also, the electron temperature is many times higher than the gas temperature. This fact allows us to…
The present work intends to identify the nature of the propulsive force that occurs during a positive corona discharge in nitrogen gas using an asymmetric capacitor geometry. We are going to apply the known theory of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) and electrostatics in order to compute all hydrodynamic and electrostatic forces that act on the considered geometry in an attempt to provide a physical insight on the force mechanism that acts on an asymmetrical capacitor.
We investigate structure and evolution of long positive spark breakdown; and we study at which stage pulses of hard X-rays are emitted. Positive high-voltage pulses of standardized lightning impulse wave form of about 1 MV were applied to about 1 meter of ambient air. The discharge evolution was imaged with a resolution of tens of nanoseconds with an intensified CCD camera. LaBr3(Ce+) scintillation detectors recorded the X-rays emitted during the process. The voltage and the currents on both electrodes were measured synchronously. All measurements indicate that first a large and dense corona o…
An experimental study of the effect of laminar airflow on positive self-pulsating streamer coronas in a needle-to-plate geometry is presented. The experiments are performed in an open return wind tunnel with winds up to 30 m/s orthogonal to the needle. The experimental data is presented in terms of statistical properties of the discharge, inferred from high resolution, large sample-size current waveforms. The key properties of the current pulsations, namely inter-pulse period, peak current, deposited energy, and pulse width are analyzed as a function of wind speed and applied DC voltage. All p…
The present work intends to compare the propulsion force developed in an asymmetric capacitor, according to the number of positive ion sources used. The ion source is a corona wire, which generates a positive corona discharge in nitrogen gas directed towards the ground electrode. We are going to apply the known theory of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) and electrostatics in order to compute all hydrodynamic and electrostatic forces that act on the considered geometry in an attempt to provide a physical insight on the force mechanism that acts on each asymmetrical capacitor, and also to compare prop…
We here propose a model to capture the complexity of the streamer corona adjacent to leader stepping and relate it to the production of energetic electrons serving as a source of X-rays and $γ$-rays, manifesting in terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs). During its stepping, the leader tip is accompanied by a corona consisting of multitudinous streamers perturbing the air in its vicinity and leaving residual charge behind. We explore the relative importance of air perturbations and preionization on the production of energetic run-away electrons by 2.5D cylindrical Monte Carlo particle simulation…
