Investigation of recombination effects in dielectric barrier discharges: A model

In this paper, a fluid model for the evolution of charged species in atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) is postulated. This model incorporates previously unconsidered atmospheric reactions, outlined in the kinetic theory, and new recombination coefficients for charged particles are used to generate increasingly more accurate values for the charged species densities. Computer simulations are carried out to establish the densities of charged species within an atmospheric air DBD system, whilst taking into account kinetic equations and various recombination coefficients. This work takes into account recombination coefficients assumed seperately to be dependent on electron and ion kinetic temperatures. Results show the evolution of charged species within the DBD discharge volume for an applied AC voltage of 10kHz and indicate that when recombination is assumed to be dependent on the ion kinetic temperature, the plasma saturates slightly more quickly.