A high temperature pulsed corona plasma reactor

Abstract

Nonthermal plasma reactors have recently been used for the treatment of gaseous pollutants. High energy electrons (several eV) are produced in the plasma while the gas remains near ambient temperatures. Pollutant molecules are decomposed by highly reactive chemical radicals created through electron collisions. The focus of this work is the treatment of pollutants from the exhaust of electric arc incinerators. A pulsed corona reactor capable of operation at exhaust temperatures of hundreds of degrees C has been constructed. This design can be used as a conventional pulsed corona reactor (wire-metal tube geometry) and has the potential for use as a hybrid reactor which incorporates a wire-tube geometry with a ceramic dielectric barrier on the inside surface of the metal tube. Pulse widths of a few 10's of ns and risetimes of less than 10 ns have been obtained. Specifically, the reactor performance as a function of temperature is investigated. The preliminary results of the destruction of gaseous pollutants from this prototype are presented along with electrical and chemical efficiencies of the device.