A Fundamental study of the dynamic and thermal behaviors of droplet interacting with plasma discharge

The study of the interaction between dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and water droplet emphasizes the influence of plasma conditions on droplet behavior, providing insights for enhancing plasma-based technologies. This study investigates the interaction of surface and in-flight DBD plasma on water droplets, specifically examining changes in voltage-current (V-I) properties, flow characterization, and droplet shape. For the surface plasma, two PMMA plates, for in-flight plasma two glass plates were used as a powered electrode and ground electrode, and a droplet of water was released to impact the plasma surface. The analysis of the V-I behavior as well as the plasma emissions around the droplet, was considered for both plasma configurations. For surface DBD plasma, this analysis also involved the use of Schlieren visualization, infrared thermal imaging, and high-speed imaging to look at induced airflow, droplet evaporation, and thermal effects. On the other hand, in the case of in-flight plasma, High-speed images showed that droplets moving through plasma undergo considerable changes in shape and spreading dynamics. The droplets were dispersed above a DBD plasma reactor at varying altitudes to assess the effects of their impact on a hydrophobic surface, followed by a specific focus on droplet size, generation frequency, and trajectories.