Effect of the high voltage waveform on the ionic wind produced by a needle-to-plate dielectric barrier discharge

Abstract

Although corona discharges are used in many industrial applications because of their ability to produce chemical species, the ionic wind they induce is less known and often ignored. Therefore, the present study aims at investigating the ionic wind produced by a corona discharge ignited between a high voltage needle and a grounded plate electrode covered by a dielectric material. More specifically, the work focuses on the influence of the high voltage waveform on the temporal behavior of the ionic wind. The results highlight that the high voltage waveform plays a key role on the dynamics of the flow produced inside the discharge. On the one hand, for the sine, triangle and sawtooth waveforms, there is a flow acceleration during both the positive and the negative half-cycles, the positive discharge being more effective in velocity production. On the other hand, for the square waveform, the increase in velocity occurs during the rises and falls of the voltage, because of the strengthening of the electric field due to the ions remaining from the previous half-cycle at the wall of the dielectric material.