Effect of extension length in a surface barrier discharge on the driving force of electrohydrodynamic gas flow

A surface barrier discharge generated between an exposed and a buried electrode induces a unidirectional gas flow, known as an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) gas flow. The discharge behavior and flow characteristics have been investigated. When the exposed electrode is an anode, several streamers propagate above the buried electrode, whereas when the exposed electrode is a cathode, weak light emission is uniformly observed above the buried electrode. The maximum discharge length increases as both the length of the buried electrode and the amplitude of the applied voltage increase. Independent of the buried electrode length, the velocity of the EHD flow increases monotonically as the discharge extends farther, and is uniquely determined by the maximum discharge length. Index Terms--Electrodynamics, surface discharges, gas flow.