Interactions between multiple filaments and bacterial biofilms on the surface of an apple

In this paper, the interactions between two dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) filaments and three bacterial biofilms are simulated. The modeling of a DBD streamer is studied by means of 2D finite element calculation. The model is described by the proper governing equations of air DBD at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The electric field in the computing domain and the self-consistent transportation of reactive species between a cathode and biofilms on the surface of an apple are realized by solving a Poisson equation and continuity equations. The electron temperature is solved by the electron energy conservation equation. The conductivity and permittivity of bacterial biofilms are considered, and the shapes of the bacterial biofilms are irregular in the uncertainty and randomness of colony growth. The distribution of the electrons suggests that two plasma channels divide into three plasma channels when the streamer are 1 mm from the biofilms. The toe-shapes of the biofilms and the simultaneous effect of two streamer heads result in a high electric field around the biofilms, therefore the stronger ionization facilitates the major part of two streamers combined into one streamer and three streamers arise. The distribution of the reactive oxygen species and the reactive nitrogen species captured by time fluences are non-uniform due to the toe-shaped bacterial biofilms. However, the plasma can intrude into the cavities in the adjacent biofilms due to the μm-scale mean free path. The two streamers case has a larger treatment area and realizes the simultaneous treatment of three biofilms compared with one streamer case.