Experimental study on the discharge characteristics of an air rotating gliding arc

In this study, the discharge characteristics of an air rotating gliding arc (RGA) are investigated by synchronous measurements of a digital oscilloscope and a high-speed camera, and the emission spectrum measurement. The discharge evolution in one complete motion cycle exhibits a ‘breakdown-elongation-extinction’ process accompanied by a jump phenomenon of the arc root and a back-breakdown phenomenon. The discharge evolves from the unstable breakdown mode (U-B), to the transition mode and finally to the stable gliding mode (S-G) by increasing the input voltage or decreasing the tangential and axial gas flow rates. The U-B mode at an input voltage of 120 V is featured by the large reduced electric field and high electron temperature of 1.90 eV, but the arc length and existence time are very short. The S-G mode at an input voltage of 270 V has a relatively low breakdown frequency of 0.33 kHz and an average breakdown current of 1.31 A, implying that the arc steadily glides and rotates along the spiral electrode. The average electron temperature is 0.64 eV in the S-G mode, while the arc length and existence time are longer. The rotational and vibrational temperatures of the N 2 ( C 3 ∏ u ) state are respectively measured at 2200 K and 4400 K in the U-B mode, and in the S-G mode are 2600 K and 4820 K. From the evolution of emission intensities of measured excited species, it is found that the NO γ band emission intensity generally rises from the U-B mode to the S-G mode since the gas temperature and arc existence time rise, indicating that the S-G mode may be beneficial for the vibrationally promoted Zeldovich reactions. This study could deepen the understanding of arc characteristics in air RGA for selecting a suitable mode to achieve better plasma performance in practical applications.