Surface Discharges: Possible Applications for Plasma-Assisted Ignition and Electric Field Measurements

Perspectives of study of plasma assisted ignition for low initial gas temperatures (about 1000 K) and high initial gas pressures (units and tens of bars) using rapid compression machine technique are discussed. Review of rapid compression machines available at present in the laboratories and is presented. Technique of electric fleld measurements using emission spectroscopy of molecular nitrogen is discussed for O2:N2 mixtures of arbitrary composition. Data on electric fleld measurements in 50 Hz dielectric barrier discharge and in 3 Hz nanosecond pulsed discharge are presented and discussed. The idea of the experiments to study a fast gas heating due to the action of discharge at high overvoltages, is suggested. The results of the preliminary experiments and numerical modelling are discussed.