New Mathematical Model of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuator in Air

Abstract

The goal of this study is to provide a thorough numerical and analytical physics-based model that can qualitatively and quantitatively characterize the processes of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator functioning. The drift-diffusion approach to describe the spatial-temporal structure of the dielectric barrier discharge in air at atmospheric pressure, including kinetic phenomena and plasma-chemical reactions, was chosen as the basic one. Electronically excited and metastable states of nitrogen molecules and oxygen, oxygen atoms, electrons, as well as positive and negative ions, a total of 14 particles and 97 plasma-chemical reactions, including surface processes were considered at this paper. Chemical reactions include processes of dissociation, ionization of molecules by electron impact from the ground state, stepwise, associative and photoionization, excitation of molecules, ionization of excited (metastable) molecules, attachment and reattachment of electrons, recombination of electrons and positive ions, chemical transformations of neutral atoms, molecules and ions, and also processes of secondary emission of electrons from an open electrode and a dielectric surface. The temperature, mobility and diffusion of electrons, as well as the coefficients of some chemical reactions (ionization, excitation, attachment) depend on the electric field strength and are calculated using the BOLSIG+ solver, which is based on solving the Boltzmann equation using the electron velocity and energy distribution function. Test calculations of the plasma flow generation and development near the flat plate are carried out.