One-dimensional simulation of evolution characteristics of dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric pressure argon

For further understanding the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) between parallel plate-electrodes in atmospheric pressure argon, we established a corresponding one-dimensional numeric model taking electron energy into account. By solving the model, a detailed analysis is conducted to explain the spatial-temporal evolution of electrons, metastable argon atoms, electric potential and electron temperature in DBD driven by sinusoidal voltage of 10 kHz, 1.5 kV. It is found that the discharge varies from Townsend type into glow discharge, in which the cathode dark space region, negative glow region, Faraday dark space, and discharge positive column can be distinguished clearly from each other, and the ways for electron to lose energy are different between Townsend discharge and glow discharge. Fixing the frequency at 10 kHz and increasing the voltage peak to 3.5 kV, the discharge plasma's maximum electron temperature, electron density, positive ion density and metastable argon atom density all increase. Moreover, under driving voltage of 50 Hz and 100 kHz with fixed amplitude of 2.5 kV, the anode glow region is observed, and the Faraday dark space is covered by the positive column at the first discharge current first peak before it shows around the second current peak.