https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/s10053-025-01102-x
Regular Article - Plasmas
Impact of added capacitance and inductance on transient spark plasma characteristics and on HNO2 generation
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
Received:
23
September
2025
Accepted:
21
November
2025
Published online:
13
December
2025
Electrical discharges offer a promising alternative for nitrogen fixation. This study investigates the properties of plasma generated by transient spark discharges in dry and humid air. Influence of an additional capacitor, both alone and combined with an inductor on the transient spark’s electrical and optical characteristics is examined. The study also describes the influence of the circuit configuration on HNO2 generation in humid air and in a humid N2/NO (2000 ppm) mixture.
With both a capacitor and an inductor in the driving circuit, the plasma sustains for 4–5 μs after the initial spark pulse, exhibiting several “re-ignitions.” Electrons probably gain relatively high energy during these “re-ignitions,” as they are capable of exciting N2 to energy levels exceeding 11 eV. Concurrently, the electron density remains above approximately 1021 m−3 for several microseconds. The enhanced efficiency in NO formation in driving circuit with both capacitor and an inductor is most likely due to a substantial increase in the heavy particle temperature, reaching 5000–7000 K, during this discharge phase. However, these prolonged, high-temperature conditions are likely detrimental to HNO2 formation, which is more efficiently generated in driving circuits without additional inductor.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/s10053-025-01102-x.
© The Author(s) 2025
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