Seeing that schematic of a DBD plasma actuator reminds me of my time working with missile radomes where one source of noise in the radar was charge flowing across the outer surface of the radome. This was called streaking. Raindrop impact on the surface caused the charge in the form of electrons to be deposited there by the tribo-electric effect. When sufficient charge was deposited there would be a discharge path across the surface to the missile metal skin. I was also involved with detection of explosives using ion mass spectrometry that used something like a cathode ray gun but unlike cathode ray electrons that travel in vacuum the ions travel in gas so the behavior is quite different. Don't fall into the trap of believing the plasma will behave like cathode rays. Smudge
You are quite right, it is not like inside a cathode ray tube. DBD is even more special because the plasma forms between two plates of a capacitor, to be exact, on the dielectric. It is here that there is a huge charge buildup. STEAP uses this to gain charge from the ion's within the atmosphere, that charge that always exists which was created by the Sun and resulting in the Ionesphere which safe guards extream radiation from the Sun, but still there is charge always. The plasma is the vehicle to extract and add some of this charge, 24/7, not only during light hours. This is using the unique high ionic charge created within the capacitance and on the dielectric surface. Recycling part of this charge in a particular way, keeps this system going. If a unit, for example, produced an output of 1kwhr but to start it 250w, 750w in 24 hrs would give you sufficient to run an average house when used with batteries for high consumption peaks. This is the goal, and is in the hands of professionals at this very minute. Regards Mike
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