Experimental Study of a Gas Jet Generated by an Atmospheric Microcavity Discharge

A study of a one-side-opened microcavity discharge in atmospheric-pressure air is reported. This discharge is powered by a DC high voltage power supply. The discharge regime can be self-pulsed or continuous depending on the magnitude of the discharge current. A gas jet, generated by the discharge in the microcavity, can be used to act on an external airflow passing near the orifice of the microcavity in order to control the airflow. Our experiments clearly show that the gas jet significantly disrupts a smoke column passing near the orifice of the microcavity. The smoke column deviation periodically varies when the electrical discharge is in the pulsed regime, whereas in the continuous regime, it becomes constant. Optical emission spectroscopy measurements were performed, and the gas temperature in the cavity as a function of the mean discharge current was estimated.