Shock-wave propagation in supercritical CO2 induced by nanosecond-pulsed arc plasma

Abstract

Shock waves generated by arc plasma in supercritical (SC) CO2 have the potential to create novel reaction fields. However, there have been few studies of shock-wave characteristics in SC-CO2. This study provides the results of visualization of shock-wave propagation in SC-CO2 generated by nanosecond-pulsed arc plasma. A propagating cylindrical shock wave originating from a discharge channel was observed using time-resolved shadowgraph imaging. The shock wave separated from the cylindrical dark-region induced by pulsed arc plasma within 64 nanoseconds. The Mach numbers of the shock waves were investigated against the medium density of the CO2 ranging from a high-pressure gas phase to the SC phase. The Mach number reached a local maximum at the critical CO2 density level. The anomaly in the Mach number can be explained by the local maximum of the specific heat capacity ratio of the CO2 at close to the critical condition of SC-CO2.