Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets have been developed extensively for applications such as plasma medicine and plasma agriculture due to the generation of abundant reactive species being critical for manipulating reaction pathways in different fields. However, it is still challenging to develop a proper plasma source with controlled parameters by experimental measurements because of fast discharge dynamics and complex plasma chemistry. Alternatively, numerical simulations can be used to capture discharge dynamics with detailed chemistry revealed.

In this project, a two-dimensional axisymmetric plasma fluid model will be integrated with a two-dimensional axisymmetric gas flow model to predict the dynamic behavior of a helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The simulated results will be compared with photos taken by an intensified CCD camera to validate the model. It is a topic involving thermofluid science, which is suitable for students in mechanical engineering. Anyone who is interested in plasma-related technologies may join this program.