Interaction of multiple plasma plumes in an atmospheric pressure plasma jet array

• Published in: Journal of physics. D, Applied physics Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 52001 - 1-6
• Main Authors: Ghasemi, M, Olszewski, P, Bradley, J W, Walsh, J L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 06.02.2013; Institute of Physics
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma applications; Plasma interactions (nonlaser); Plasma jets; Dielectric barrier discharge; Laminar flow; Atmospheric pressure; Plasma assisted processing; Surface treatments; Plumes
• ISSN: 0022-3727; 1361-6463
• DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/46/5/052001

Plasma jet arrays are considered a viable means to enhance the scale of a downstream surface treatment beyond that possible using a single plasma jet. Of paramount importance in many processing applications is the uniformity of the plasma exposure on the substrate, which can be compromised when multiple plasma jets are arranged in close proximity due to their interaction. This contribution explores a dielectric barrier plasma jet array consisting of multiple individually ballasted jets. It is shown that capacitive ballasting is a promising technique to allow simultaneous operation of the plasma plumes without the losses associated with resistive ballasting. The interaction between adjacent plasma plumes and the background gas is investigated with Schlieren imaging; it is shown that the strong repulsive force between each plasma plume causes a divergence in propagation trajectory and a reduction in the laminar flow length with significant ramifications for any downstream surface treatment.