Characteristics of atmospheric pressure Ar-plasma around a spherical particle: Numerical study

Abstract

The characteristics of atmospheric pressure Ar-plasma such as the spatial distributions of number densities, fluxes, and temperatures of electrons and heavy plasma particles, as well as the spatial distribution of electric potential around an individual spherical particle, were studied numerically on the basis of the hydrodynamic (diffusion) equations for plasma components. The governing equations were formulated for plasma that is not in thermal and ionization equilibrium. The boundary conditions near the particle were set on the edge of the space charge layer (sheath) adjacent to the particle surface. The nonlinear problem was solved taking into account the temperature dependencies of transport and kinetic coefficients. The heat flux introduced by the plasma into the particle was calculated and compared with the results of the simple heat conduction model. The range 10 − 5 – 10 − 4 m of particle radius and the range 6–18 kK of unperturbed plasma temperature were considered.