Mathematical analysis of positive pulsed corona discharge process employed for removal of nitrogen oxides

Abstract

A mathematical model was proposed to describe the behaviour of the removal of nitrogen oxides (NO/sub x/) in a positive pulsed corona discharge reactor. The proposed model takes into account radical production at each pulsing and subsequent radical utilization for NO/sub x/ removal. The production efficiencies of radicals such as O, OH, H, and N were derived by considering direct electron impact on dissociation of gaseous molecules, followed by excitation transfer reactions of excited oxygen atoms. The production efficiencies of those species were used for the model calculations. The proposed model could adequately predict the experimental data. Of the active species present, the ozone (O/sub 3/) produced by the reaction of O radical with oxygen was found to play the crucial role in oxidation of NO to NO/sub 2/, both theoretically and experimentally.