Fluid versus global model approach for the modeling of active species production by streamer discharge

In this paper, we seek to validate the zero-dimensional (global) model approach for the modeling of the plasma composition in high pressure reactive streamer discharges. We focus on streamers typical of dielectric barrier discharge that are widely used, for instance, for plasma-assisted reforming of greenhouse gases. However, our conclusions can be extended to the streamers used in plasma-assisted ignition/combustion and other related systems. First, we perform two-dimensional fluid simulations for streamers with positive and negative trigger voltages and analyze the difference between the breakdown mechanisms of these two modes. Second, we use the time evolution of the electron heating term obtained from the fluid simulations as the input parameter of the global model and compare the plasma component content predicted by this model with the results of the fluid model. We obtain a very good agreement between fluid and global models for all species generated in plasma. However, we conclude that streamers initiated by the positive and negative trigger voltage cannot be considered as symmetrical which is usually done in global models of barrier discharge reactors.