1d3v PIC/MCC simulation of dielectric barrier discharge dynamics in hydrogen sulfide

The products of hydrogen sulfide decomposition by dielectric barrier discharge are hydrogen and sulfur. This process can successfully recover hydrogen from a hazardous by product of fossil fuel extraction, and it has thus been attracting increasing attention. In this study, we computationally examined the dynamics of dielectric barrier discharge in hydrogen sulfide. The simulations were performed with a 1d3v particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model in which a parallel-plate electrode geometry with dielectrics was used. Particle recombination process is represented in the model. The discharge mode was found to be initially Townsend discharge developing from the cathode to the anode, and at the peak of the current, a more stable glow discharge develops from the anode to the cathode. A higher applied voltage results in sufficient secondary electrons to trigger a second current peak, and then the current amplitude increases. As the frequency is increased, it leads to the advance of the phase and an increase in the amplitude of the current peak. A higher dielectric permittivity also makes the discharge occur earlier and more violently in the gap.