Research projects of the Department of Physics of the University of Madeira belong to the area of Physics of Low-Temperature Plasmas, which is an area of excellence of the Department.

 

Research projects with national funding

·       Theory and modelling of plasma-cathode interaction in high-pressure arc discharges. 2000-2004. Funding: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), project No. 32411/1999.

·        Modes of current transfer to cathodes of high-pressure arc discharges and their stability. 2005-2009. Funding: FCT, project POCI(PPCDT)/FIS/60526/2004.

·        Cathode spots in high-pressure DC gas discharges: self-organization phenomena. 2009-2012. Funding: FCT, project PTDC/FIS/68609/2006.

·        Modelling, understanding, and controlling self-organization phenomena in plasma-electrode interaction in gas discharges: from first principles to applications. 2013-2015. Funding: FCT, project PTDC/FIS-PLA/2708/2012.

Large-scale research projects funded by the European Union

·        Plasma & membrane supported catalytic gasoline fuel processor using hydrogen selective membranes. 2001-2003. EU, project ENK5-CT-2000-00346. Other participants: DaimlerChrysler AG (Germany), Johnsons Matthey Plc. (United Kingdom), Mikrowellen Umwelt Technologie GmbH (Germany), Centre d'Energétique - ARMINES (France).

·        Integrate approach to designing high intensity discharge lighting systems. 2002-2004. EU, project NNE5/2001/282. Other participants: Association pour le development de la physique atomique (France), GE Lighting (England), Knobel AG (Switzerland), Thorn Europhane (France), Luxmate WSW (Germany), SINAPSE (France), Universite Montpellier II (France), Foundation Research and Technology – Hellas (Greece), TRL Limited (England), Mairie d'Albi (France).

Research networks

·        Efficient lighting for the XXI century. 2001-2006. Funding: programme COST (European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) of the European Union, action 529, Technical Committee Materials.

Research projects with industrial funding

·        Advanced modelling of arc plasma technologies. 2000-2003. Funding: ABB Corporate Research, Sweden.

·        Cathode sheath modelling for super-high intensity discharge lamps. 2000-2001. Funding: General Electric Company, USA.

·        Advanced modelling of plasma-chemical technologies.  2002. Funding: Research Center of DaimlerChrysler AG, Germany.

·        Plasma reforming of kerosene for alternative power units. 2004-2005. Funding: Airbus Industries.

·        Anode sheath in high xenon pressure gas discharge lamps. 2006-2008. Funding: Philips Technologie GmbH, Germany.

·        Projects on different aspects of physics of discharges in high-power vacuum circuit breakers. Since 2009. Funding: Siemens AG, Germany.

Free codes

      On-line tool for simulation of different modes of axially symmetric current transfer to cathodes of high-pressure arc discharges.

   Code for evaluation of the field to thermo-field to thermionic electron emission

   The code is based on: M. S. Benilov and L. G. Benilova, J. Appl. Phys. 114, No. 6, pp. 063307-1-7 (2013).  

      Codes for calculation of the mobility and temperature of ions in a weakly ionized gas for given reduced field and neutral temperature   The code based on: P. G. C. Almeida, M. S. Benilov, and G. V. Naidis,  J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 35, No. 13, pp. 1577-1584, 2002).

   Site Interaction of High-Pressure Arc Plasmas with Thermionic Cathodes

PhD Theses