Characteristics of surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator under the nanosecond pulse voltage

The plasma generated by surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) has a promising application prospect at the field of aerodynamic, biomedicine and environmental protection. In order to understand the influence of the actuator configuration on the generation of the plasma and its characteristics, we experimentally studied the optical emission and electrical characteristics of the SDBD plasma excited by nanosecond pulsed voltage at atmospheric pressure. The influences of the encapsulation and symmetry of the electrode on the plasma parameters, such as the current, N2(C3Πu) vibrational and rotational temperature, electron temperature, electron density, etc., were analyzed, respectively. It is found that the presence of the encapsulation is beneficial to the stabilization of the discharge, increasing the spectral intensity, vibrational and rotational temperature and electron density. Compared with the asymmetric actuator, the discharge of the symmetric actuator occurs earlier with the higher current value, N2(C3Πu) vibrational and rotational temperature and electron temperature and density. There is an obvious second discharge in the symmetric discharge. As the frequency increases from 200 Hz to 1 400 Hz, the emission intensities and rotational temperature will rise, while the vibrational temperature exhibits a down trend, and the electron temperature remains almost unchanged for all the three actuator configures. The result is useful to under-standing the mechanism of the nanosecond discharge and the energy transmission. © 2016, High Voltage Engineering Editorial Department of CEPRI. All right reserved.