Non‐Equilibrium Effects in Gliding Arc Dischargesa

The properties of the non‐equilibrium Gliding Arc plasma were studied both experimentally and theoretically. The propagation of the plasma column was recorded continuously by using a high‐speed video camera. A theoretical model was developed to determine the characteristics of the equilibrium‐nonequilibrium transition. The transition is explained by the drastic change of the dominant ionization channel when the contribution of the thermal ionization to the electron density balance becomes less important than that of the direct electron impact ionization. According to our theoretical model, the majority of the Gliding Arc power (up to 75–80%) can be dissipated in the cold non‐equilibrium stage. Powerful non‐equilibrium plasma can be generated from the initially thermal Gliding Arc discharge.