Learning Center

Using the Plasma Interface

Part 2 of this course on modeling nonequilibrium plasma using COMSOL Multiphysics^® and the Plasma Module focuses extensively on the Plasma interface. We go over many of the settings in the Diffusion Model, Transport Settings, and Plasma Properties sections of the Plasma interface node. This includes the following settings:

• Diffusion model
• Calculate thermodynamic properties
• Full expression for diffusivity
• Mixture diffusion correction
• Compute tensor electron transport properties
• Use reduced electron transport properties
• Include thermal diffusion
• Mean electron energy
• Electron energy distribution function

We encourage you to open the software and follow along as the specialized settings and capabilities are discussed. We also encourage you to follow along in the software during our demonstration, where we will show you how to build a simple 1D plasma model simulating DC glow discharge. (The cross section data that you will need to import is available in the linked Application Gallery entry.)

After the demonstration, we highlight additional noteworthy aspects of the Plasma interface. This includes the option to use a finite volume formulation for the discretization of a plasma model, the settings for the numerical stabilization of a plasma model, and some of the common reasons (and resolutions) for why and how plasma models either fail to start solving after computation or fail during solving.