dc.title: Computational modelling of nanosecond pulsed non-equilibrium hydrogen-argon plasma for iron-ore reduction dc.description.abstract: Nanosecond pulsed discharges in argon-hydrogen mixtures produce highly reactive, non-equilibrium plasma that is critical for advanced material processing. Low temperature plasma generated by nanosecond pulsing at atmospheric pressure, allow for selective energy deposition into reactive chemical modes, producing a glow discharge with high flux of ions and radicals to the surface, enabling faster reduction kinetics at significantly lower temperatures. At high pressure, nanosecond pulsing enables the generation of non-thermal plasma, wherein electrons and ions exist at much higher energy than the bulk gas temperature. Particularly important in this regime are hydrogen ions (e.g., ArH+, H3+, H+), which are accelerated through the cathode sheath. These high-energy ions may enhance chemisorption and penetration into the iron ore, providing a unique pathway for enhanced solid-gas interactions not accessible via thermal gas-phase reactions. Using axisymmetric simulations of non-equilibrium plasma, this study computationally characterizes the combined effect of nanosecond pulsing, Ar - H2 gas mixture composition, operating pressure, and applied voltage on the production and flux of the key reducing species (H, ArH+, H3+, H+) under conditions relevant to iron ore reduction. This study reports the dependence of reductant species’ flux on pulse properties and the H2 fraction in Ar, to identify ideal parameters for guiding experimental design.