Abstract The next generation of advanced combustion devices is being developed to operate under ultra-high-pressure conditions. However, under such extreme conditions, flame tends to become unstable and measurement of fundamental properties such as the laminar flame speed becomes challenging. One potential method to resolve this issue is measuring the ignition-affected region during spherically expanding flame experiments. The flame in this region is more resistant to perturbations and remains smooth due to the high stretch rates (i.e. small radii). Stable flame propagation allows for improved flame measurement, however, the experimentally observed kernel propagation is a function of both inflammation and ignition plasma. Therefore, the goal of the present study is to better understand the plasma formation and propagation during the ignition process, which would allow for reliable laminar flame speed measurements. To accomplish this goal, thermal plasma operating at high pressures is studied with emphasis on the spark energy effects on the formation of the ignition kernel. The thermal effect of the plasma is experimentally observed using a high-speed Schlieren imaging system. The energy dissipated within the plasma is measured with the use of voltage and current probes with a measurement of plasma sheath voltage drop as an input to numerical modeling. The measured kernel propagation rate is used to assess the accuracy of the model. The experiments and modeling are conducted in dry air at 1, 3, and 5 atm as well as in CH 4 -N 2 mixtures at 1 atm, and kernel radius, temperature, and mass are reported. The voltage-drop (as a non-thermal loss) is measured to be approximately 330 ± 5 V (dry air at 1 atm) for glow plasma with a large dependency on pressure, gas composition, electrode surface quality, electrode geometry, electrode shape, and current density. The same loss within the arc plasma is measured to be 15 ± 5 V, however the arc phase loss which agrees with arc propagation is significantly higher (∼45 V) which suggest additional unaccounted for phenomena occurring during the arc phase. With these losses, the modeling results are shown to predict the final kernel radius within 10%–20% of the observed kernel size. The difference found between the modeling and experimental results is determined to be a result of assuming that the primary loss mechanism (voltage drop across sheath formation) remains constant for the duration of glow discharge. The discrepancy for arc discharge is discussed with several potential sources, however, additional studies are required to better understand how the arc formation affects the kernel propagation.
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Arc hopping dynamics induced by interfacial negative differential resistance
Pattern formation in plasma–solid interaction represents a great research challenge in many applications from plasma etching to surface treatment, whereby plasma attachments on electrodes (arc roots) are constricted to self-organized spots. Gliding arc discharge in a Jacob’s Ladder, exhibiting hopping dynamics, provides a unique window to probe the nature of pattern formation in plasma–surface interactions. In this work, we find that the existence of negative differential resistance (NDR) across the sheath is responsible for the observed hopping pattern. Due to NDR, the current density and potential drop behave as activator and inhibitor, the dynamic interactions of which govern the surface current density re-distribution and the formation of structured spots. In gliding arc discharges, new arc roots can form separately in front of the existing root(s), which happens periodically to constitute the stepwise hopping. From the instability phase-diagram analysis, the phenomenon that arc attachments tend to constrict itself spontaneously in the NDR regime is well explained. Furthermore, we demonstrate via a comprehensive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) computation that the existence of a sheath NDR can successfully reproduce the arc hopping as observed in experiments. Therefore, this work uncovers the essential role of sheath NDR in the plasma–solid surface pattern formation and opens up a hitherto unexplored area of research for manipulating the plasma–solid interactions.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 1650544
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10369788
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- PNAS Nexus
- Volume:
- 1
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2752-6542
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Bacterial biofilms are aggregates of surface-associated cells embedded in an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) matrix, and are typically stationary. Studies of bacterial collective movement have largely focused on swarming motility mediated by flagella or pili, in the absence of a biofilm. Here, we describe a unique mode of collective movement by a self-propelled, surface-associated biofilm-like multicellular structure.
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