Re-Breakdown Process at Longitudinal–Transverse Discharge in a Supersonic Airflow

A physical and numerical model of a longitudinal–transverse discharge in a supersonic air flow is presented. The considered model takes into account not only the traditional mechanisms of interaction between the discharge and the flow (convection, diffusion, heat release, thermochemical nonequilibrium), but also the processes of dissociation and ionization in strong reduced electric fields. It is shown that, within the framework of a two-dimensional model of a direct current discharge, the current loop is carried away by the flow until the ionization rate due to a strong reduced electric field in the immediate vicinity of the electrodes provide a sufficient ionization to form an alternative current channel. In this case, a new current loop begins to form, and the old one dies off. The considered process of current reconnection has a periodic character. The current loop lifetime is proportional to the current amplitude.