STUDENT AWARD FINALIST: Simulation of the ignition of a H2-air mixture at atmospheric pressure by a nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharge

Nanosecond repetitively Pulsed Discharges (NRPD) have a great potential for many applications at atmospheric pressure due to their ability to produce efficiently many reactive chemical species at a low energy cost. Recent measurements have shown that in the ``spark'' regime of NRP discharges, an ultra-fast local heating of the gas could be obtained. This effect is of great interest for applications as flow control and plasma assisted combustion (PAC). In this work, we have carried out 2D numerical simulations of the coupling of the NRP discharge in air at atmospheric pressure in a point-point geometry with the background air. In particular, we have simulated shock waves generated by the NRPD in the spark regime and we have compared our results with experiments. Then, we have studied the production of active species by the NRP discharge in the spark regime. Finally, for plasma assisted combustion applications, we have simulated the ignition of a flame kernel in a lean H2-air mixture by a spark NRPD. Based on this work, the relative importance for the combustion ignition of gas heating and production of active species by the spark NRP is discussed.