Numerical Simulation of Streamer Propagation and Radical Reactions in Positive Corona Discharge in N2/NO and N2/O2/NO

Abstract

Two-dimensional calculation of a positive streamer in corona discharge was carried out in the point-plane electrodes in N2/NO(300 ppm) and N2/O2(20%)/NO(300 ppm) at atmospheric pressure. Although similar works have been already published, the distinctive features of our work are (i) the long calculation time (∼500 ns) compared with other works, and (ii) the introduction of chemical reactions. The excited species with short radiative lifetime such as N2(B3Πg) and N2(C3Πu) are included in addition to radicals and metastable species. First, the physical property of a positive corona streamer was clarified before and after the streamer bridging between the point-plane electrodes. Second, chemical reaction processes in the early discharge stage (∼500 ns) were examined. Particularly, the radical production process and its efficiency were evaluated. Third, the effect of turning off the applied voltage on positive streamer corona discharge was studied.