Refined analysis of current–voltage characteristics in Townsend dielectric barrier discharges in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure

A refined method is proposed to analyze surface spreading phenomena along the gas flow lines in plane-to-plane Townsend dielectric barrier discharges (TDBDs) in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. Current–voltage characteristics are recorded as a function of gas residence time using a recently-developed, fragmented-electrode system and the results are analyzed using an equivalent circuit model using dielectric, gas and parasitic capacitances as adjustable parameters. The results show that the capacitance values are directly correlated to the surface spreading of the TDBD, which in turn, influences the shape of the discharge current and gas voltage curves for each half-cycle of the applied voltage. This highlights the importance of a good determination of the effective discharge surface area and therefore of the capacitance values in electrical analysis of TDBD. (paper)