Large Area Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Discharge using a High-Power Plasma Switch

Abstract

A fast rise -time, high -power pseudospark switch was applied to two large -area, atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges (DBD). One DBD was constructe d with 10 x 10 -cm wire -grid electrodes and the other was constructed with a 22 x 14 -cm strip array electrodes . With comparable applied voltage, t he power deposited into the DBD was measured for short -pulsed pseudospark excitation and compared to ac excita tion. The deposited power was 4 – 47 -W for short -pulse repetition rates of 50 – 600 -Hz while the ac power was 4 – 25 -W for frequencies of 300 – 2000 -Hz. The O -atom and ozone production of the DBD s were examined by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and UV absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The ozone production was the same for low powers (<10 -W) but at higher powers, the short -pulse excited DBD produced more ozone. The gas temperature of the DBD, determined from OES of N 2 second positive emission, was ~100 K above ambient (~420 K) and di d not vary with repetition rate . Nomenclature 3 O T = net ozone UV tra nsmission