1D simulation of runaway electrons generation in pulsed high-pressure gas discharge

The results of theoretical modelling of runaway electron generation in the high-pressure nanosecond pulsed gas discharge are presented. A novel hybrid model of gas discharge has been successfully built. Hydrodynamic and kinetic approaches are used simultaneously to describe the dynamics of different components of low-temperature discharge plasma. To consider motion of ions and low-energy (plasma) electrons the corresponding equations of continuity with drift-diffusion approximation are used. To describe high-energy (runaway) electrons the Boltzmann kinetic equation is included. As a result of the simulation we obtained spatial and temporal distributions of charged particles and electric field in a pulsed discharge. Furthermore, the energy spectra calculated runaway electrons in different cross-sections, particularly, the discharge gap in the anode plane. It is shown that the average energy of fast electrons (in eV) in the anode plane is usually slightly higher than the instantaneous value of the applied voltage to the gap (in V)

Why do electrons with "anomalous energies" appear in high-pressure gas discharges?

Experimental studies connected with runaway electron beams generation convincingly shows the existence of electrons with energies above the maximum voltage applied to the discharge gap. Such electrons are also known as electrons with “anomalous energies”. We explain the presence of runaway electrons having so-called “anomalous energies” according to physical kinetics principles, namely, we describe the total ensemble of electrons with the distribution function. Its evolution obeys Boltzmann kinetic equation. The dynamics of self-consistent electromagnetic field is taken into the account by adding complete Maxwell’s equation set to the resulting system of equations. The electrodynamic mechanism of the interaction of electrons with a travelling-wave electric field is analyzed in details. It is responsible for the appearance of electrons with high energies in real discharges

Theoretical simulation of the picosecond runaway-electron beam in coaxial diode filled with SF6 at atmospheric pressure

This paper presents detailed results of gas discharge theoretical simulation and the explanation of probabilistic mechanism of fast-electrons generation. Within the framework of a hybrid mathematical model, the hydrodynamic and the kinetic approaches are used simultaneously in order to describe the dynamics of different components of a low-temperature discharge plasma. The breakdown of a coaxial diode occurs in the form of a dense plasma region expanding from the cathode. On this background there is a formation of runaway electrons that are initiated by the ensemble of plasma electrons generated in the region of locally enhanced electric field within the front of the dense plasma. It is shown that the power spectrum of fast electrons in the discharge contains the group of electrons with the so-called “anomalous” energies. Comparison of the calculation results with the existent experimental data gives a good agreement for all major process parameters

Review of supershort avalanche electron beam during nanosecond-pulse discharges in some gases

Supershort avalanche electron beam (SAEB) plays an important role in nanosecond-pulse discharges. This paper aims at reviewing experiments results on characteritics of SAEB and its spectra in different gases in nanosecond-pulse discharges. All the joint experiments were carried in the Institute of High Current Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In these experiments, the generation of a SAEB in SF6 in an inhomogeneous electric field was studied on three generators with pulse rise times of 0.3, 0.5 and ∼2 ns. Firstly, the comparison of SAEB parameters in SF6 with those obtained in other gases (air, nitrogen, argon, and krypton) is introduced. Secondly, the SAEB spectra in SF6 and air at pressures of 10 kPa (75 torr), and 0.1 MPa (750 torr) are reviewed and discussed. Finally, 1.5-D theoretical simulation of the supershort pulse of the fast electron beam in a coaxial diode filled with SF6 at atmospheric pressure is described. The simulation was carried out in the framework of hybrid model for discharge and runaway electron kinetics. The above research progress can provide better understanding of the investigation into the mechanism of nanosecond-pulse discharges

Why do electrons with "anomalous energies" appear in high-pressure gas discharges?

Experimental studies connected with runaway electron beams generation convincingly shows the existence of electrons with energies above the maximum voltage applied to the discharge gap. Such electrons are also known as electrons with “anomalous energies”. We explain the presence of runaway electrons having so-called “anomalous energies” according to physical kinetics principles, namely, we describe the total ensemble of electrons with the distribution function. Its evolution obeys Boltzmann kinetic equation. The dynamics of self-consistent electromagnetic field is taken into the account by adding complete Maxwell’s equation set to the resulting system of equations. The electrodynamic mechanism of the interaction of electrons with a travelling-wave electric field is analyzed in details. It is responsible for the appearance of electrons with high energies in real discharges

The effect of the mode of gas preionization on the parameters of runaway electrons in high-pressure discharges

The results of theoretical modeling of the process of formation of a nanosecond discharge in a coaxial discharge gap filled with a high-pressure gas are presented. Two cardinally different evolution scenarios of the nanosecond discharge are addressed: A) in a uniformly volume pre-ionized gas medium and B) in a strongly spatially-nonuniform initially-ionized region near the cathode with a small curvature radius. Relying on the minimal mathematical model of a high-voltage discharge and the description of the physical kinetics of runaway electrons, it is shown using the Boltzmann kinetic equation that the amplitude and duration of a current pulse of runaway electrons and their energy spectrum strongly depend on the mode of gas preionization in the gap. In particular, the other conditions being equal, near-cathode initiation gives rise to the generation of a large group of low-energy runaway electrons within the late current-switching stage. The volume-homogeneous gas preionization can reduce the number of fast electrons by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to the regime without preionization

1D simulation of runaway electrons generation in pulsed high-pressure gas discharge

The results of theoretical modelling of runaway electron generation in the high-pressure nanosecond pulsed gas discharge are presented. A novel hybrid model of gas discharge has been successfully built. Hydrodynamic and kinetic approaches are used simultaneously to describe the dynamics of different components of low-temperature discharge plasma. To consider motion of ions and low-energy (plasma) electrons the corresponding equations of continuity with drift-diffusion approximation are used. To describe high-energy (runaway) electrons the Boltzmann kinetic equation is included. As a result of the simulation we obtained spatial and temporal distributions of charged particles and electric field in a pulsed discharge. Furthermore, the energy spectra calculated runaway electrons in different cross-sections, particularly, the discharge gap in the anode plane. It is shown that the average energy of fast electrons (in eV) in the anode plane is usually slightly higher than the instantaneous value of the applied voltage to the gap (in V)

The effect of the mode of gas preionization on the parameters of runaway electrons in high-pressure discharges

The results of theoretical modeling of the process of formation of a nanosecond discharge in a coaxial discharge gap filled with a high-pressure gas are presented. Two cardinally different evolution scenarios of the nanosecond discharge are addressed: A) in a uniformly volume pre-ionized gas medium and B) in a strongly spatially-nonuniform initially-ionized region near the cathode with a small curvature radius. Relying on the minimal mathematical model of a high-voltage discharge and the description of the physical kinetics of runaway electrons, it is shown using the Boltzmann kinetic equation that the amplitude and duration of a current pulse of runaway electrons and their energy spectrum strongly depend on the mode of gas preionization in the gap. In particular, the other conditions being equal, near-cathode initiation gives rise to the generation of a large group of low-energy runaway electrons within the late current-switching stage. The volume-homogeneous gas preionization can reduce the number of fast electrons by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to the regime without preionization

Theoretical simulation of a gas breakdown initiated by external plasma source in the gap with combined metal-dielectric electrodes

This paper is devoted to the theoretical investigation of the breakdown in short discharge gaps of different geometries under the influence of the plasma stream from an external source. The structural feature is the presence of dielectric elements in the electric discharge gap area, which have high emission activity and the ability to accumulate a surface charge. The simulation was performed for a 2-D planar geometry of the discharge gap between two metal electrodes with dielectric coating surrounded by the gaseous medium. Charged particles generation and dynamics have been described by a system of partial differential equations in the diffusion-drift approximation within the two-fluid hydrodynamics plasma model. The basic advantages of the proposed model (such as a wide variety of boundary conditions and geometries of the discharge gap, the scalability of the critical parameters of the environment, and a simple representation of surface reactions) are demonstrated successfully. During computations, the range of gas pressure and the external preionization level at which the probability of low-voltage self-sustained discharge is high enough were identified