Calculation of the total rate coefficients for non-equilibrium nitrogen thermal plasmas at atmospheric pressure

Abstract

The total rate coefficients used in a simplified collisional radiative (SCR) model are calculated for thermal nitrogen plasmas at atmospheric pressure. Most of them cannot be considered as physical quantities depending on only a few parameters such as the electron temperature but are functions of the actual state of the plasma. The variations of these coefficients under the influence of radiative losses, the departure between electron and heavy-particle temperatures and the diffusion processes are studied. The use of these coefficients in a SCR model is discussed.