Effect of Tip Distribution on Plasma Energy Efficiency in Pulsed Multitip-Plane Corona Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure in Dry and Humid Air

This study uses an electrical discharge model. It examines how intertip distance affects energy delivered to a reactor tip-plane configuration. The results are validated against previous experimental measurements. Increasing the intertip distance from 5 to 20 mm in dry air results in a proportional increase in delivered energy. The study also evaluates discharge energy, which is useful energy. It shows a loss of energy at 5 mm, but useful energy at 20 mm. Analysis of energy efficiency for different distances shows a significant improvement, varying from 45% to 88%. A subsequent study in humid air shows that no energy is lost beyond 15 mm. The study also looks at how the tip number affects the reactor’s energy delivery. It found that energy delivery increased with the number of tips. However, efficiencies decreased due to mutual effects between tips. As a result, plasma energy efficiency decreased by up to 35% despite the increase in the tip number. These results stress the key role of the threshold distance. It is vital for better energy efficiency and full coverage of target surfaces.