Abstract
We created a two-dimensional, mathematical fluid model of a plasma in a spherical direct-current (DC) glow-discharge chamber based on the finite-element method (FEM) using the commercial FEM solver COMSOL Multiphysics. The model is based on the Boltzmann transport equation, and we solved it to simulate the transient physical characteristics of an Ar/H2 glow-discharge plasma, including the distributions of electron density, electrical potential, electron temperature, and other physical characteristics in the reaction chamber. We simulated a 5%H2/95%Ar DC glow discharge at 500 V and 2 Torr, and the results show that the electron density is distributed between the anode and the cathode, with a maximum electron density of 2.76 × 1015 m−3 and a maximum electron temperature of 5.37 eV. We also studied the effects of the discharge voltage and pressure on the electron density. The mathematical model simulates well the variation of the electron density in the chamber, and it shows that the electron density increases with increasing pressure or driving voltage.
Highlights
Nuclear fusion has been attracting wide attention because it utilizes abundant raw materials, has a good safety record, and is regarded as one of the main ways to solve the world’s energy problems
We described simulations of a two-dimensional, mathematical fluid model of the plasma in a spherical DC glowdischarge chamber using the finite-element method
The model is based on the Boltzmann transport equation, and we solved it to simulate the transient physical characteristics of plasma generated by an Ar/H2 glow discharge, including the distribution of electron density, electrical potential, electron temperature, and other physical characteristics in the reaction chamber
Summary
Nuclear fusion has been attracting wide attention because it utilizes abundant raw materials, has a good safety record, and is regarded as one of the main ways to solve the world’s energy problems. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) aims to study advanced steady-state high-performance H-mode plasma-physics problems in order to accumulate technical experience for a future superconducting fusion reactor, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) or China Fusion Engineering Experimental Reactor (CFETR).. In order to investigate the discharge parameters of the DC glow-discharge device, we used the finite-element analysis package COMSOL Multiphysics to perform a two-dimensional, symmetrical simulation of an Ar/H2 direct-current discharge plasma. We utilized the commercial finite-element method (FEM) solver COMSOL Multiphysics to develop a two-dimensional, symmetrical model of an Ar/H2 DC discharge plasma and used it to simulate the physical characteristics of the discharge for different driving voltages and gas pressures. III, we describe the simulation and analysis methods, including the discharge configuration and the effects of pressure and voltage on the transient physical properties of the plasma generated by the glow discharge in the reaction chamber
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