Experimental study of gliding arc plasma channel motion: buoyancy and gas flow phenomena under normal and hypergravity conditions

The details of plasma channel motion are investigated by frame-by-frame image analysis of high speed recording of a gliding arc. The gliding arc is operated in several noble gases at various flow rates, voltages and artificial gravity levels. Several peculiarities in evolution of individual glides are observed, described and discussed, such as accelerating motion of plasma channel or shortcutting events of various kinds. Statistics of averaged parameters are significantly different for buoyancy and gas drag dominated regimes, which is put into relation with differing flow patterns for hypergravity and high gas flow.