Computational Modeling of Pulsed Plasma Radio-Frequency Source in Molecular Gases
Abstract
The proposed research will develop a high-fidelity computational modeling framework for the predictive analysis of a non-equilibrium molecular gas plasmas in radio frequency driven discharges and the control of these discharges through pulsed excitation strategies. A zero-dimensional model will be developed to represent fully-coupled non-equilibrium effects that include multi species, state-to-state representation of the vibrational and electronics excitation levels in the plasma species, coupled to the electron Boltzmann equation. This full-fidelity model will be compared to an equivalent zero-dimensional model that represents non-equilibrium through a multi-temperature formulation for the gas, vibrational excitation, and the electrons. We will perform uncertainty quantification associated with the model input parameter such as electron impact cross section and reaction rate coefficients to assess its impact on the predicted plasma state properties. The model will be implemented in a multi-dimensional plasma inductive plasma discharge simulator to study the effects of the non-equilibrium on spatially dependent discharge properties. Finally, pulsed power excitation of the discharge will be investigated to explore effects on the discharge and study possible resonant phenomena associated with the molecular vibrational kinetics. This research will have translational impact on a variety of application areas including semiconductor manufacture, chemical processing, gas lasers etc. in addition to immediate goal of informing modeling approaches for spacecraft electric propulsion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 2025
- Source ID
- FA95502410358
Entities
People
- Laxninarayan Raja
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Texas at Austin