A numerical toolbox for solving 0D and 1D non-equilibrium plasma chemistry

A numerical toolbox has been developed to model zero-dimensional (0D) non-equilibrium plasma chemistry. The code leverages Boltzmann solver BOLSIG+ to solve for the energy distribution function of electrons and compute reaction rates for electron-collision reactions. The plasma chemistry leverages ZDPlasKin, compiled into a Julia library for an efficient and intuitive interface. The plasma chemistry solver is coupled with Cantera for reactions that occur on a longer timescale using an operator splitting scheme to optimize computational time. The resulting 0D solver, PlasmaChem, has been used in the detailed modeling of plasma-assisted combustion and plasma-based chemical conversion. The code can be coupled in an additional operator splitting layer with in-house one-dimensional (1D) inviscid compressible fluid solvers. Two versions of the 1D code exist: (i) a cartesian version, to model transient or quasi-periodic plasma actuation in a channel and (ii) a cylindrical version, to capture transient (ignition) or quasi-periodic radial phenomena (microdischarges). Post-processing tools include detailed, time-dependent, pathways analysis for both chemical elements and deposited energy. This capability informs which processes have a stronger influence on the chemistry, and can aid formulate optimized actuation strategies.