1D simulation of runaway electrons generation in pulsed high-pressure gas discharge

Institute of High Current Electronics - Akademichesky ave. 2/3, 634055 Tomsk, Russia and Tomsk State University - Lenin ave. 36, 634050 Tomsk, Russia

^(a) kozyrev@to.hcei.tsc.ru

Received: 26 May 2015
Accepted: 7 October 2015

Abstract

The results of theoretical modelling of runaway electron generation in the high-pressure nanosecond pulsed gas discharge are presented. A novel hybrid model of gas discharge has been successfully built. Hydrodynamic and kinetic approaches are used simultaneously to describe the dynamics of different components of low-temperature discharge plasma. To consider motion of ions and low-energy (plasma) electrons the corresponding equations of continuity with drift-diffusion approximation are used. To describe high-energy (runaway) electrons the Boltzmann kinetic equation is included. As a result of the simulation we obtained spatial and temporal distributions of charged particles and electric field in a pulsed discharge. Furthermore, the energy spectra calculated runaway electrons in different cross-sections, particularly, the discharge gap in the anode plane. It is shown that the average energy of fast electrons (in eV) in the anode plane is usually slightly higher than the instantaneous value of the applied voltage to the gap (in V).