Improving the energy efficiency of surface dielectric barrier discharge devices for plasma nitric oxide conversion utilizing active flow control

Abstract

Improving energy efficiency in plasma NO removal is a critical issue. When the surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) device is considered as a combination of multiple plasma actuators, the induced plasma aerodynamic effect cannot be ignored, which can affect the mass transfer, then affect the chemical reactions. Five SDBD devices with different electrode arrangements are studied for NO conversion. They correspond to different flow patterns. We find that the energy efficiency in an SDBD device with a common structure (Type 1) is 28% lower than that in SDBD devices with a special arrangement (Types 2–5). Two reasons may explain the results. First, fewer active species are produced in Type 1 because the development of discharge is hindered by the mutually exclusive electric field forces caused by the symmetrically distributed charged particles. Second, the plasma wind induced by the plasma actuator can enhance the mass and heat transfer. The mixing of reactants and products is better in Types 2–5 than Type 1 due to higher turbulence kinetic energy.