Effect of Duty Cycle on the Characteristics of Pulse-Modulated Radio-Frequency Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Using a one-dimensional fluid model, the pulse-modulated radio-frequency dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric helium is described. The influences of the pulse duty cycle on the discharge characteristics are studied. The numerical results show that the dependence of discharge characteristics on the duty cycle is sensitive in the region of around 40% duty cycle under the given simulation parameters. In the case of a larger duty cycle, the plasma density is higher, the discharge becomes more intense, but the power consumption is higher. When the duty cycle is lower, one can get a weaker discharge, lower plasma density and higher electron temperature in the bulk plasma. In practical applications, in order to get a higher plasma density and a lower power consumption it is more important to choose a suitable duty cycle to modulate the RF power supply.