The influence of electrodes thicknesses on the characteristics of a helium plasma jet

Abstract

An atmospheric plasma jet reactor (PJR) was designed using two outer disc-like copper plats placed around a quartz tube. The effects of the electrodes’ thicknesses and their placement on the plasma jet length created in helium and its electrical characteristics were investigated. Measurements of the plasma jet length were carried out for different applied voltages and different gas flow rates. The electrical characteristics (such as discharge current and power consumption) of the plasma jet obtained using a high voltage generator delivering a sin-wave signal varying from 13kVp-p to 17kVp-p at a resonance frequency of 5.5kHz, were measured/calculated. The best results (long plasma plume and intense plasma) were obtained with a reactor equipped with a thicker upper electrode and a thinner lower electrode. Using this configuration, a plasma plume 55mm long was reached at 17kVp-p and 7slm of helium.