Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of Nitrogen Plasma Under Thermal Equilibrium and Non-equilibrium Conditions

Abstract

Assuming a seven species model of nitrogen plasma, thermodynamic and transport properties are calculated under thermal equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions. Species densities, mass densities, specific heat, enthalpy, viscosity, thermal conductivity, collision frequency, and electrical conductivity are studied as a function of temperature, pressure, and different degrees of thermal and chemical non-equilibrium. Effect of both electrons and ions are considered in the shielding for charged–charged interactions under shield coulomb potential and obtained results are found to be in excellent agreement with experimentally obtained results, especially at higher temperatures. Accounting up to third ionized states, results are presented with temperatures ranging from 300 to 50,000 K, the ratio of electron temperature (Te) to the heavy particle temperature (Th) ranging from 1 to 20 and the pressure ranging from 0.1 to 7 atmospheres. Under atmospheric pressure, results obtained for thermodynamic equilibrium (Te = Th) are compared with number of published results under similar conditions. Computed properties under different degrees of chemical non-equilibrium are also discussed.