Effect of oxygen as additive on an atmospheric nanosecond pulsed helium plasma jet impinging on a dielectric surface.

Based on a 2D axisymmetric plasma fluid model, the effect of the levels of O2 admixtures on the plasma dynamics of an atmospheric pressure He plasma jet incident on a dielectric surface situated normal to the jet axis has been studied. The introduction of O2 admixture in the feedstock gas changes the shape of the discharge ionization rate that approaches the target surface from a ring to a solid disk. As the streamer extinguishes radial propagation along the dielectric surface, comparatively larger plasma-surface contact areas were obtained for O2 additions to the He plasma of less than 0.5% relative to that for the discharge in pure He, while in the case of 2% O2, the radial propagation distance dropped off significantly. The propagation of an ionization wave peaked in the range 0.2%–1% for the O2 admixture. The enhanced ionization reactions are considered to predominate for small concentrations of O2 as additive, and the negative role played by the excitation energy loss and the attachment of electrons to O2 is more important with the addition of 2% O2. There was a remarkable incremental gain in the flux intensity of O on the surface center, while the flux of N was mainly concentrated on the streamer head. The magnitude of the O flux on the surface showed a peak at the 0.5% O2 admixture level, and the flux of O3 on the surface was directly proportional to the O2 concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]