Characterizing uniform discharge in atmospheric helium by numerical modelling

Abstract

One-dimensional fluid model of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in helium at atmospheric pressure was established and the discharge was numerically simulated. It was found that not only the spatial distributions of the internal parameters such as the electric field, the electron density and ion density are similar to those in a low-pressure glow discharge, but also the visually apparent attribute (light emission) is exactly the same as the observable feature of a low-pressure glow discharge. This confirms that the uniform DBD in atmospheric helium is a glow type discharge. The fact that the thickness of the cathode fall layer is about 0.5 mm, much longer than that of a normal glow discharge in helium at atmospheric pressure, indicates the discharge being a sub-normal glow discharge close to normal one. The multipulse phenomenon was reproduced in the simulation and a much less complicated explanation for this phenomenon was given.