Electrohydrodynamically induced airflow in a one atmosphere uniform glow discharge surface plasma

Summary form only given. The One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP) is capable of operating at one atmosphere in air and other gases, and its active species can be used to sterilize and decontaminate surfaces, and to increase the wettability and surface energy of materials. This paper will present the theory of three distinct mechanisms for EHD-induced now acceleration at one atmosphere using the OAUGDP. The first of these mechanisms acts on the net charge density of the OAUGDP, and produces neutral gas flow velocities on the order of one to ten meters per second as the result of a paraelectric effect in which the plasma is accelerated in the direction of an increasing electric field gradient. This phenomenon was observed during wind tunnel tests, in which the paraelectrically induced gas flow was observed to have the predicted linear dependence on the applied voltage, and to be of the correct magnitude. The second mechanism is the result of the momentum transferred to the neutral gas from the mobility drift of ions and electrons in a DC electric field applied to a OAUGDP. The ion momentum transfer dominates the electron momentum transfer, and can produce neutral gas now velocities approaching Mach 1.0 if heating and viscous effects are neglected. The third mechanism is flow induced by peristaltic EHD effects on an OAUGDP, in which a series of strip electrodes are energized by a polyphase low frequency RF power supply, in such a way that a traveling-wave electric field exists along the surface on which the electrodes are mounted. This electric field can accelerate the ions and the neutral gas to velocities of several hundred meters per second.