AsianScientist (Mar. 7, 2018) – A research group at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has identified how electric wind is generated in plasma. Their findings are reported in the journal Nature Communications.
Electric wind in plasma is a well-known consequence of interactions arising from collisions between charged particles (electrons or ions) and neutral particles. It refers to the flow of neutral gas that occurs when charged particles accelerate and collide with a neutral gas.
The colliding particles and resultant flow creates air movement without mechanical movement, such as fan wings. Hence, electric wind in plasma is gaining interest as a next-generation technology to replace existing fans.
In this study, a team of scientists led by Professor Choe Wonho of KAIST has identified how electric wind is generated. The team used atmospheric pressure plasma to observe and record streamer propagation and space charge drift produced by an electrohydrodynamic force in a qualitative manner.
According to the team, streamer propagation has very little effect on electric wind, but space charge drift that follows after streamer propagation and collapse was the main cause of electric wind. The team also identified that electrons, instead of negatively charged ions, were key components of electric wind generation in certain plasmas.
Furthermore, electric wind with the highest speed of 4 m/s was created in a helium jet plasma, which is one fourth the speed of a typhoon. These results indicate that basic principles exist to effectively control the speed of electric wind.
“These findings set a firm foundation for the understanding of interactions between electrons or ions and neutral particles that occur in weakly ionized plasmas, such as atmospheric pressure plasmas. This can play an important role in expanding the field of fluid-control applications using plasmas,” said Choe.
The article can be found at: Park et al. (2018) The Creation of Electric Wind Due to the Electrohydrodynamic Force.
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Source: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Photo: Pixabay.
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