Modeling of a streamer plasma reactor energized by a capacitive energy pulse modulator

This paper presents a semi-empirical model for a wire-wire corona reactor driven by a capacitive storage solid state pulse generator. The reactor electrode system is configured as a checker mesh of potential and grounded threaded electrodes, and the pulse generator is based on a modern magnetic compression topology. Both the corona reactor and the nanosecond pulse power supply designs were described in detail earlier. This presentation considers the effect of the geometrical parameters of the reactor (the total length of the high-voltage electrode surrounded by its grounded counterparts and the gap between high-voltage and the grounded electrodes) on the operation of the atmospheric pressure streamer plasma system. The model analyzes the discharge processes in the reactor by distinguishing between four phases, each being represented by an equivalent circuit: before streamer generation, during primary streamer propagation, after primary streamers have crossed the interelectrode gaps, and after the plasma conductivity quenching. Such an approach has been validated in previous work. The new reactor model is realized on the PSpice platform, and simulations are done using an improved pulse modulator model. The simulation results are compared with experimental data, showing the model validity.