Plasma-surface interaction in heptane
Résumé
The main processes related to discharges between pin and plate electrodes in hydrocarbon liquid (heptane) are modelled for micro-gap (from 10 to 100 mu m) conditions. When a plasma channel hits the surface, a micro-crater is created. The different phenomena controlling the geometry (shape and dimension) of a single crater are described and included in a theoretical model developed for the specific case of pure aluminium. The influence of the most important parameters affecting the geometry of the crater is discussed. Among them, one finds the pressure exerted by the plasma on the liquid metal. It is found that the distribution of the pressure applied on the liquid pool changes significantly the way the plasma shapes the pool. It is assumed that at high charges, the pressure profile is tilted from the channel axis, leading to the formation of a central protrusion. On the other hand, we demonstrate that Thomson-Marangoni forces play an important role for crater diameters smaller than 5 mu m. Then, the choice of the first derivative of the surface tension with respect to the temperature is a key factor. This effect is strongly related to the way convection displaces matter in the liquid pool. Finally, the quenching step is sufficiently fast to freeze the liquid shape as soon as the plasma vanishes.