Comparison of discharge characteristics in surface dielectric barrier discharge driven by nanosecond and microsecond pulsed powers

Surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a promising technology in applications of flow control. We conducted surface DBD experiments using a homemade nanosecond-pulse source and a homemade microsecond-pulse source, and compared the characteristics of the surface DBDs driven by the two sources as well as the influences of the amplitude of the applied voltage, the thickness of dielectric barrier, and the spacing of electrodes. The experimental results reveal that the surface DBDs driven by the two power sources all have energy at the level of mJ, and the maximum power at the rising edge up to tens of kW. There are multiple discharges at the rising edge. The number of these discharges is larger in microsecond-pulse discharges than in nanosecond-pulse discharges; meanwhile, it decreases with the rising applied voltage. The thinner the dielectric barrier is, the stronger the discharge is, and the higher the discharge energy is. The spacing between electrodes affects the discharge, and the energy at the gap with spacing of 0 mm is the highest. The discharge plasma gets brighter when the frequency of applied voltage pulses increases. The area of microsecond-pulse plasma is larger than that of nanosecond-pulse plasma.