Modelling of the gliding arc discharges applied in technologies of environment protection

The paper presents the review of the mathematical models of the arc discharges. Special attention is paid to their usefulness for the description of the gliding arc discharge. The gliding arc plasma reactors are rather difficult systems both for analyzing and experimental research. Quite big complexity of the phenomena attendant to the discharges, necessity to model the ignition of the discharge, cyclic reactor operation and its dynamic properties with the parameters depicted by a significant spatial-timing variability requires relevant modification of known and commonly applied models of arc discharges. The numerical analysis carried out on the gliding arc plasma reactor shows that proper modeling of the mentioned phenomena is feasible with the application of terminal models of the electrical arc. The results of modelling are verified by the measurements carried out on the laboratory three-electrodes reactor with gliding arc.