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Abstract: Electrical discharges offer a promising alternative for nitrogen fixation. This study investigates the properties of plasma generated by transient spark discharges in dry and humid air. Influence of an
additional capacitor, both alone and combined with an inductor on the transient spark’s electrical and
optical characteristics is examined. The study also describes the influence of the circuit configuration on
HNO2 generation in humid air and in a humid N2/NO (2000 ppm) mixture.
With both a capacitor and an inductor in the driving circuit, the plasma sustains for 4–5 μs after the initial spark pulse, exhibiting several “re-ignitions.” Electrons probably gain relatively high energy during
these “re-ignitions,” as they are capable of exciting N2 to energy levels exceeding 11 eV. Concurrently, the electron density remains above approximately 10^21 m−3 for several microseconds. The enhanced efficiency
in NO formation in driving circuit with both capacitor and an inductor is most likely due to a substantial
increase in the heavy particle temperature, reaching 5000–7000 K, during this discharge phase. However,
these prolonged, high-temperature conditions are likely detrimental to HNO2 formation, which is more efficiently generated in driving circuits without additional inductor.
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