Three-dimensional modeling of energy transport in a gliding arc discharge in argon

In this work we study energy transport in a gliding arc discharge with two diverging flat electrodes in argon gas at atmospheric pressure. The discharge is ignited at the shortest electrode gap and it is pushed downstream by a forced gas flow. The current values considered are relatively low and therefore a non-equilibrium plasma is produced. We consider two cases, i.e. with high and low discharge current (28 mA and 2.8 mA), and a constant gas flow of 101 min(-1), with a significant turbulent component to the velocity. The study presents an analysis of the various energy transport mechanisms responsible for the redistribution of Joule heating to the plasma species and the moving background gas. The objective of this work is to provide a general understanding of the role of the different energy transport mechanisms in arc formation and sustainment, which can be used to improve existing or new discharge designs. The work is based on a three-dimensional numerical model, combining a fluid plasma model, the shear stress transport Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes turbulent gas flow model, and a model for gas thermal balance. The obtained results show that at higher current the discharge is constricted within a thin plasma column several hundred kelvin above room temperature, while in the low-current discharge the combination of intense convective cooling and low Joule heating prevents discharge contraction and the plasma column evolves to a static non-moving diffusive plasma, continuously cooled by the flowing gas. As a result, the energy transport in the two cases is determined by different mechanisms. At higher current and a constricted plasma column, the plasma column is cooled mainly by turbulent transport, while at low current and an unconstricted plasma, the major cooling mechanism is energy transport due to non-turbulent gas convection. In general, the study also demonstrates the importance of turbulent energy transport in redistributing the Joule heating in the arc and its significant role in arc cooling and the formation of the gas temperature profile. In general, the turbulent energy transport lowers the average gas temperature in the arc, thus allowing additional control of thermal non-equilibrium in the discharge.