Turbulence effects on an ambient pressure discharge

Abstract

This work reports on observations of a diffuse discharge in a turbulent air flow. The discharge power was monitored as a function of velocity and turbulence spectrum in a fixed electrode configuration. The flow direction was also reversed to check on the effect of convection. The flow increased the sparking voltage, and turbulence made the current distribution considerably more homogeneous; the discharge power increased from about l W with no flow to about 250 W with 60-m/sec grid-generated turbulent flow. This turbulence was most intense in the range between l and 10 kHz.