Analytical Method of Revised Capacitance on Semicircular Active Plate Model in the Case of Plasma Electric Current Flow

This study is motivated by the need to characterize the current–voltage (I–V) behavior of practical and measurable plasma discharges in various plasma devices, particularly electrostatic precipitators. This study aims to compare the accuracy of analytical calculations with experimental measurements of a corona discharge's current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. This study employs a revised capacitance approach by introducing a current multiplier factor (k), derived from the geometric properties of the sharp active electrode surface, into calculating the current-voltage relationship of a plasma discharge in air occurring at the electrode position by using a DC source. The electrode configuration comprises a semicircular active plate and a rectangular passive plate. A Python Graphical User Interface (GUI) program has been developed to generate analytical curves and fit them to the experimental data at the appropriate k-value. The contributions of this study include analytical calculation methods, variations in plate geometry and active plate sizes, and inter-plate distances. The results show a t-test value of ≤ 0.05, a relatively high percentage of tangent points (ranging from 50% to 95%), and visual evidence supporting the validity of the current multiplier factor (k) through corona discharge photography.