When adequately designed, plasma reactors can be applied to the conversion of organic matter to synthesis gas (H2 + CO) with high efficiency and low energy requirements. Several physics interact in these devices and should be accounted for properly for design optimizations. In this work we analyzed the fluid flow and the electrostatics in a rotating gliding arc (RGA). COMSOL Multiphysics was used to model the flow of nitrogen in a three-dimensional geometry representing the main features of a bench-scale equipment. Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA), provided by Glenn Research Center (NASA) was used to model the chemical equilibrium of N2. Moreover, based on the CFD simulations, a home-made MATLAB code was used to calculate the breakdown voltage at the electrode (Pashen’s law) and to assess the discharge regime occurring in the device (Peek’s law).