Pulsed discharge-induced high-speed flow near a dielectric ledge

We report on the effect of nanosecond surface sliding discharge glow redistribution near a dielectric ledge and high-speed post-discharge flow dynamics. The discharge energy localization is shown to be supplementary to plasma glow inhomogeneity along the surface. The process is studied in a discharge chamber with two 100mm x 30mm surface sliding discharges (plasma sheets) placed on the top and bottom walls and a dielectric ledge, 48mm x 6mm x 2mm in size, mounted on the bottom plasma sheet. The dynamics of the discharge-induced flow is captured using high-speed shadowgraphy during the first 40-50 mu s after the discharge ignition. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the induced flow are also conducted to gain more insight into the energy release area configuration. Based on the numerical and experimental shadow images matching, the pulsed discharge energy redistribution is quantitatively analyzed. [GRAPHICS]