Asymmetric properties and ozone production of surface dielectric barrier discharge with different electrode configurations

Abstract

For two electrode configurations of surface dielectric barrier discharge we investigated the asymmetry of the electrical parameters for the positive and negative half-periods of the discharge voltage and the discharge ozone production. In both configurations the first electrode was a square on one side of the dielectric plate. A set of 9 or 14 interconnected parallel strips on the other side of this plate served as the second electrode. The asymmetry is caused by different micro-discharges activity, which is reflected by peaks in the discharge current waveforms. When the strip electrode is connected to the high voltage terminal of the power source the series of current peaks appears mainly during the positive voltage half-periods whereas only a few smaller current peaks are observed during the negative voltage half-periods. When the strip electrode is grounded the situation is reversed. For the electrode configuration with 14 strips the asymmetry in micro-discharges activity is decreased in comparison with the 9 strip electrode. Finally the discharge electrode system with 9 strips produces, for a particular power, higher ozone concentrations than the system with 14 strips and the concentration of ozone does not depend on which electrode is grounded.