Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

The electric characteristics of a segmented plasmatron and the results of optical emission spectroscopy of Ar-air, N2, and N2–CO2 are presented. The main working gas forming the plasma stream was fed near the cathode into the arc region and another additional gas was injected into the plasma stream beyond the arc. It is shown that the gas injected into the plasma stream is drawn to the arc area due to arc spot movement and cyclic arc shrinking and expanding due to the power supply pulsation. It was found that when the anode spot moves upstream, the additional gas is retracted into the arc region, changing the operating conditions of the plasmatron. The retraction mechanism depends on the gas type and is different in argon and molecular plasmas. The results of the plasma emission spectroscopy show differences in the electron excitation and rotational temperatures for the plasmas studied and are used to explain the mechanism of functioning of a segmented plasmatron.

segmented plasmatron, electric properties, optical emission

Nitrogen and argon plasmas with a small admixture of air produced in a segmented plasmatron are studied both experimentally and theoretically. A two-temperature hydrodynamic model is used to simulate the plasma flow inside the plasmatron. The calculated plasma temperature and electron density are in reasonable agreement with the experimental values obtained from emission spectroscopy. The electron temperatures are several thousand kelvins higher than the atom temperatures, showing that the plasmas produced in the segmented plasmatron are in non-equilibrium.

segmented plasmatron, plasma expansion, emission spectroscopy

This contribution proposes a description of selected experimental activities conducted in aerospace sciences and dedicated to generate experimental data to assess atmospheric entry plasma models. In order to provide comprehensive set of experimental data, high enthalpy shock tube facilities have been developed to generate plasma representative of entry plasma for broad range of trajectory entry conditions. The shock-heated plasma is obtained through adiabatic compression and the resulting post-shock plasma flow exhibits thermodynamic state analogous to actual entry plasma. However, significant insight can be obtained through experiments conducted also with non-equilibrium plasma flows obtained with other methods. The typical methodologies adopted to provide experimental data of interest to enhance entry plasma modeling are sketched for four distinct non-equilibrium plasma kinds produced respectively by four specific ground facilities. The contribution firstly will consider experimental campaigns conducted with a high enthalpy shock tube in order to document in absolute radiance the radiative signature in the UV spectral range of an Earth entry plasma. Then, the investigations of the interaction between a shock wave and an electrical discharge will be described. These investigations were performed to identify the role of the internal degrees of freedom of molecular gases on the propagation of the shock. Also, the contribution covers investigations devoted to the thermodynamic state characterizations by means of spectroscopic diagnostics in the cases of the non-equilibrium plasmas flows generated by plasma wind tunnels. The examination of the Saha-Boltzmann equilibrium is proposed in the case of a subsonic plasma flow. And at last, the characterization methods of air supersonic plasma jet are presented and the 2D distributions of the subsequently measured plasma properties are documented for a straight comparisons with non-equilibrium plasma jet computations.

Abel transform, multi-temperature model optical emission spectroscopy, non-equilibrium plasma, particle in cell - Monte Carlo computation, plasma wind tunnel, Saha balance, shock tube, supersonic plasma

The characteristics of segmented plasmatron are presented. The arc is sustained in argon plasma and in plasma stream, argon, nitrogen and carbon-dioxide are introduced. The numerical simulation of argon electric arc and plasma stream is carried out and the temperatures and densities of electron and heavy particles are presented. Experimental and theoretical investigations determine and explain the influence of natural gas and flow rate injected into plasma stream on working plasmatron conditions. The anode voltage drop analysis shows that in plasmatron working at a current between 40 and 340 A, gas flow rate between 0.4 and 2 g/s and pressure from 5 to 100 kPa, this drop changes from negative to positive, influencing arc voltage value. The gas injection into plasma stream results in anode spot dynamic. Electric breakdowns accompanied by high voltage fluctuations are observed when argon or nitrogen is introduced while carbon dioxide eliminates this type of breakdown reducing the voltage fluctuations and ablation of electrodes.

segmented plasmatron, re-entry in planetary atmosphere, plasma jet

Deux plasmatrons a arc non transferes sont utilises pour simuler les proprietes du gaz ionise entourant une sonde d'exploration planetaire. Le plasmatron de I'IEPE (Poznan) d'une puissance maximale de 25 kW fonctionne a pression atmospherique et a pression reduite (p>1 kPa) avec de l'argon, de l'azote et des melanges CO2-N2. La source a arc non transfere du LAEPT (Clermont-Ferrand) d'une puissance applicable maximale de 100 kW fonctionne a pression atmospherique avec de nombreux melanges gazeux dont les melanges N2-O2 et CO2-N2. Une modelisation fluide du plasmatron de I'IEPE est presentee pour de l'argon en tenant compte d'un desequilibre thermique Te-T. Des mesures de temperature par spectroscopie d'emission ont ete realisees dans les jets de plasma obtenus avec les deux plasmatrons. La temperature d'excitation de l'azote atomique et la temperature de vibration de la molecule CN ont ete determinees (IEPE). Les temperatures d'un plasma d'air et d'un plasma de CO2-N2 ont ete determinees a partir de l'emission du cuivre (LAEPT)

The experimental studies are carried out to adapt the plasmatron functioning to simulate re-entry conditions in a planetary atmosphere. The plasma flow is produced using argon or nitrogen arc and nitrogen or carbon dioxide is introduced into plasma jet. Although the gas introduced into plasma jet is injected behind the arc it influences the arc characteristics and dynamics of flow. This effect is studied in detail. Emission spectra of atomic nitrogen and ionized molecular nitrogen (N2+) are also recorded and analyzed. The atomic emission is studied in the infra-red region and has allowed the determination of an excitation temperature. The electron density is determined from the continuum radiation, and the rotational and vibrational temperatures are determined from the 1stnegative system of N2+