Dielectric Barrier Corona Activation of Electrical Discharge in a Cavitating Liquid

Abstract

Water treatment methods based on cold plasma discharge in cavitating liquid have been actively developing in recent years. However, some conditions, such as the conductivity of the medium, can limit the possibility of plasma ignition. The authors proposed a new method for activating an electric discharge in a cavitating liquid environment based on the use of an external corona discharge electrode in the plasma reactor. It has been experimentally shown that, in such a configuration, the breakdown voltage is significantly reduced. A theoretical analysis of the process was carried out, and a modified Paschen’s curve was constructed on the basis of experimental data. The following graph shows the basic diagram of the setup and plasma reactor: 1, input water tank; 2, pump; 3, reactor; 4, generator; and 5, output tank. “Gap 0” expresses the gap between the two ring electrodes, and “gap” expresses the gap between the corona electrode and the lower ring electrode.