Kinetic Simulation of Electron Transport Properties and Ionization Coefficients in Low-Pressure Carbon Dioxide-Argon Plasmas

International Journal of Physics | Vol. 13, No. 4, April 2022 | pp. 25–32

DOI: 10.46882/2022/IJP/000144

Research Article

Title: Kinetic Simulation of Electron Transport Properties and Ionization Coefficients in Low-Pressure Carbon Dioxide-Argon Plasmas

Names of Authors: A. M. El-Chemali¹, S. H. Zhang²

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹ Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
² Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Abstract: Carbon dioxide gas discharges enriched with noble gas buffers are widely deployed across green engineering sectors for greenhouse gas recycling, plasma etching, and waste processing. This study develops a self-consistent kinetic simulation model to evaluate electron transport properties and compute ionization coefficients in low-pressure CO₂-Ar mixtures. We solved the electron Boltzmann equation using a multi-term spherical harmonic expansion engine over a reduced electric field range (E/N) spanning 5.0 Td to 500.0 Td. The model incorporates comprehensive cross-section sets detailing elastic scattering, rotational excitation, vibrational thresholds, dissociative attachment, and electron-impact ionization tracks. Our calculations demonstrate that introducing argon carriers (from 20.0% to 80.0% by volume) significantly elevates the high-energy tail of the electron energy distribution function. At E/N = 50.0 Td, the total CO₂ dissociation rate coefficient scales up by an order of magnitude due to Penning ionization actions mediated by metastable argon configurations. The calculated electron drift velocity constants match independent swarm experimental tracks within a tight ±4.5% variance, providing fundamental target vectors for reactor optimization.

Keywords: Carbon dioxide plasmas; Boltzmann equation; electron transport; plasma kinetics; cross-section; Penning ionization

Manuscript Timeline: Received: January 08, 2022; Revised: February 17, 2022; Accepted: March 09, 2022; Published: April 12, 2022

Citation: El-Chemali, A. M., & Zhang, S. H. (2022). Kinetic Simulation of Electron Transport Properties and Ionization Coefficients in Low-Pressure Carbon Dioxide-Argon Plasmas. International Journal of Physics, 13(4), 25–32.

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