A novel plasma fluid model for fast 2D calculations in capacitively coupled atmospheric pressure plasma jets

Abstract

A novel 2D fluid model for capacitively coupled and cross-field atmospheric pressure plasma jets is developed, coming from the simplification of a detailed 2D plasma fluid model and taking into account the jet flow. The simplification is based on a set of reasonable assumptions and is applied systematically through a formalism based on dimensionless numbers (e.g. Peclet and Damkohler), although common in chemical engineering, utilized for the first time in the context of plasma jets and plasma modeling in general. The simplified 2D fluid model, namely the cross-field plasma model (CFPM), consists of a number of 1D plasma fluid models which are solved serially using a multi-time-scale framework. The CFPM is applied to a He/O2 plasma in the COST reference jet. The comparison with the results of the detailed 2D model points out that the CFPM can reproduce detailed 2D calculations ∼10 times faster. The comparison with the results of the standard 1D model highlights the limitations of the 1D model to produce reliable results for species with residence time lower compared to the time required for their net production to come into equilibrium. For O, O3, and O2(a 1Δ u ), i.e. species critical in biomedical applications, the mishit of the 1D model is 1–2 orders of magnitude. These advantages render the CFPM a perfect candidate for the simulation and design of cross-field plasma jets, substituting the commonly used 1D plasma fluid model.