Self-organization of microdischarges in DBD plasma

Dielectric-barrier discharge, also referred as a silent discharge, combine the ease of atmospheric pressure operation with non-equilibrium plasma conditions suited for many plasma chemical processes. Numbers of interesting industrial applications in addition to the well know ozone generation was found. In particular, it is very effective in plasma treatment of polymer surfaces to promote wettability, printability and adhesion [1, 2]. In air at atmospheric pressure the discharge consist of large number of filaments that can form at regular pattern. Different types of periodic patterns were observed experimentally. Their properties were analyzed in detail. Microdischarge interaction model in dielectric-barrier discharge was proposed in order to explain experimentally observed patterns. Monte-Carlo simulation of microdischarge interaction in discharge gap based on proposed model was developed. Comparison between modeled and experimental patterns was performed by several methods. Effect of different driving voltage on observed patterns was evaluated. Gas phase discharge chemistry was calculated; impact of patterns on chemistry was investigated. For patterns analyze and comparison 2D correlation function of the pattern averaged over the observed space, Voronoi Polyhedron approach as well as two dimensional Fourier transform was used.M.S., Mechanical Engineering -- Drexel University, 200