Outlet Electrode Research Articles

NON-THERMAL PLASMA T-SHAPED REACTOR FOR ACTIVATED WATER PRODUCTION

Non-thermal plasma is an innovative, eco-friendly technology, being considered as an emerging technology in many research fields. This work presents an analysis of the influence of different parameters on the energy efficiency of a T shaped non-thermal plasma reactor for plasma activated water generation. The tests were performed on four distinct designs (T1, T2, T3, T4) of this type of reactor for which the following input parameters were varied: frequency (60, 150 and 250 Hz), water flows (5, 10, 15 and 20 mL/min) and gas flows (1 and 2 L/min Ar). It has been shown that the configurations T3 and T4, whose discharge is generated between the gas inlet and outlet electrode, are less efficient compared to designs T1 and T2, where the discharge is generated between the water inlet electrode and the outlet electrode. It was also considered the influence of the polarity of the pulse power supply where the reverse polarity (T2 design) records significant values at the gas flow of 1 L/min. The carrier gas was argon, which has been chosen in order to avoid radical quenching reactions by other molecular species, such as nitrates and nitrites, generated in the atmospheric air plasma.

NON-THERMAL PLASMA MINI-REACTORS FOR WATER TREATMENT

The non-thermal plasma technologies (NTP) have been proved to be an alternative for air and water pollutants treatment. The goal of this paper is to emphasize the effect of the different non-thermal plasma mini-reactor configurations on the soluble organic compounds removal from water. Therefore, a soluble organic dye (Reactive Blue 19) solution has been treated in an NTP experimental reactor using different electrodes configurations. The influence of the different geometrical configuration of the reactors, such as electrodes shape and distance between them, on Reactive Blue 19 dye decolourization have been studied. The dye solution decolourization has been measured using colorimetric methods and upon the measurements results the energy efficiency EEf (g/kWh) of the dye removal have been calculated. The experimental results have shown that the electrochemical processes occurring in plasma and, consequently, the dye removal rate are significantly depending on the electrodes shape. The best results have been obtained for using a reactor having one sharp active electrode and one horizontal plan section for the outlet electrode, while the distance between them was 4 mm.

Thermal fluxes in a generator of low temperature plasma with a divergent channel of the outlet electrode

A short review is presented of experimental results concerning distribution of heat fluxes over the length of a generator of low temperature plasma (plasmatron). Comparative analysis is given of the operation of plasma generators with a divergent channel of the outlet electrode against plasma generators with a cylindrical channel of constant cross section. Experimental studies were performed on a specially created facility consisting of four plasma generators with sectioned and continuous outlet electrodes and automated measuring system.

Development of a high efficiency proton source for the Frankfurter-Neutronen-Quelle am Stern-Gerlach-Zentrum

A new version of high efficiency proton source is being developed for Frankfurter-Neutronen-Quelle am Stern-Gerlach-Zentrum, a worldwide unique pulsed neutron source. The injector will provide dc proton beam currents of 200 mA at 120 keV with a beam divergence angle of less than 50 mrad. The new design consists of a plasma generator with a multiple filament arrangement and a compact pentode extraction system. The beam will be extracted from a seven hole outlet electrode. Great efforts are made to achieve an adequate operation time (~3 days) of the source as well as to obtain high reliability during that operation period with less than 1 V breakdowns per hour. The following article will present the current status of the proton source development including beam formation simulations with IGUN.

Simplifying CE−MS Operation. 2. Interfacing Low-Flow Separation Techniques to Mass Spectrometry Using a Porous Tip

A robust, reproducible, and single-step interface design between low flow rate separation techniques, such as sheathless capillary electrophoresis (CE) and nanoliquid chromatography (nLC), and mass spectrometry (MS) using electrospray ionization (ESI), is introduced. In this design, the electrical connection to the capillary outlet was achieved through a porous tip at the capillary outlet. The porous section was created by removing 1-1.5 in. of the polyimide coating of the capillary and etching this section by 49% solution of HF until it is porous. The electrical connection to the capillary outlet is achieved simply by inserting the capillary outlet containing the porous tip into the existing ESI needle (metal sheath) and filling the needle with the background electrolyte. Redox reactions of water at the ESI needle and transport of these small ions through the porous tip into the capillary provides the electrical connection for the ESI and for the CE outlet electrode. The etching process reduces the wall thickness of the etched section, including the tip of the capillary, to 5-10 microm, which for a 20-30 microm i.d. capillary results in stable electrospray at approximately 1.5 kV. The design is suitable for interfacing a wide range of capillary sizes with a wide range of flow rates to MS via ESI, but it is especially useful for interfacing narrow (<30 microm i.d.) capillaries and low flow rates (<100 nL/min). The advantages of the porous tip design include the following: (1) its fabrication is reproducible, can be automated, and does not require any mechanical tools. (2) The etching process reduces the tip outer diameter and makes the capillary porous in one step. (3) The interface can be used for both nLC-MS and CE-MS. (4) If blocked or damaged, a small section of the tip can be etched off without any loss of performance. (5) The interface design leaves the capillary inner wall intact and, therefore, does not add any dead volume to the CE-MS or nLC-MS interface. (6) Bubble formation due to redox reactions of water at the high-voltage electrode is outside of the separation capillary and does not affect separation or MS performances. The performance of this interface is demonstrated by the analyses of amino acids, peptide, and protein mixtures.

The effect of a ledge in outlet electrode on operation efficiency of the two-chamber plasmatorch

Electric and thermal characteristics of the two-chamber plasmatorch with a stepped outlet electrode were studied experimentally. Formulas for determination of arc voltage, plasmatorch efficiency, and length of a narrow part of the outlet electrode were derived. It is shown that such a plasmatorch is more efficient than the plasmatorch with a smooth outlet electrode.

Simultaneous Determination of Inorganic Cations and Anion in Medical Electrolytes by Capillary Electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was developed in order to effect rapid, specific determination of potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium. Ions (4 cations, 1 anion) were measured continuously via shifting of samples from the inlet electrode to the outlet electrode; moreover, samples were subjected to indirect and direct ultraviolet (UV) techniques, respectively. For the measurement of cations, imidazole (5 mM) functioned as a UV absorber of indirect detection at 214 nm. Consequently, anions can be measured directly by UV at 214 nm. Separation times of cations and Cl− anions were 10 min and 2 min, respectively; the detection limit of each ion (chloride, magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium) was 0.1 µmol/L. This approach is very simple; additionally, measurement time is extremely short. As a result, the proposed method is suitable for routine assay of electrolytes in pharmaceutical preparations.

Simulation of the ion source extraction and low energy beam transport systems for the Spallation Neutron Source

The ion source for the Spallation Neutron Source is a radio-frequency (rf) multi-cusp, volume-type H− source that is coupled to a rf quadrupole accelerator through a low energy beam transport (LEBT) system consisting of five electrostatic elements. To gain a deeper understanding of the operation of this system and to continue to refine the design, we have performed ion extraction and transport simulations using the computer code PBGUNS. A comparison is presented between simulation and the measured phase space of the beam for various values of LEBT electrode potentials. Both the emittance magnitude and orientation in phase space were found to be in reasonable agreement with measurement. A design study is also presented where the angle of the source outlet electrode has been optimized with the aid of PBGUNS simulations, resulting in a substantial reduction of the emittance.

Control of electrochemical reactions at the capillary electrophoresis outlet/electrospray emitter electrode under CE/ESI-MS through the application of redox buffers.

It was found that combining capillary electrophoresis (CE) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) overlays two controlled current techniques to form a three-electrode system (CE inlet, CE outlet/ES emitter, and MS inlet electrodes) in which the CE outlet electrode and the ES emitter electrode were shared between the CE and the ESI-MS circuits. Depending on the polarities and magnitudes of the voltages at the CE inlet, CE outlet/ES emitter, and MS inlet electrodes, the nature of the two redox reactions at the shared electrode was the same or different (both reduction, both oxidation, or one oxidation and the other reduction). Several redox buffers were introduced for controlling electrochemical reactions at the shared electrode. By reacting at this electrode, redox buffers were able to maintain electrode potentials below the onset of water electrolysis, thereby eliminating gas bubble formation and/or pH drift. The volume of the gas generated due to water electrolysis was used to quantitate water oxidation or reduction at this electrode. Two types of redox buffers were used. A reactive electrode with an oxidation potential below that of water was used as the electrode under anodic conditions. Also, a reactive compound with a redox potential below that of water was added to the CE and/or ESI running buffer. When the shared electrode was the anode of both CE and ESI-MS circuits, the use of iron or etched and sanded stainless steel (ss) wire, instead of platinum wire, suppressed bubble formation at the shared electrode. Under these conditions, corrosion of the Fe wire and formation of Fe2+ replaced oxidation of water, eliminating O2 gas bubble and H+ formation. When mixtures of peptides were analyzed, iron adducts of peptides were observed. For a fresh wire, however, the intensities of adduct ions were less than 3% of the protonated molecules. After a few days of operation, the intensities of the adduct ions increased to approximately 50%, due to rust formation on the Fe wire. On-column rinsing with a 40% solution of citric acid rejuvenated the Fe wire and reduced the adduct peak intensities to less than 3%. Unmodified ss wire did not quench bubble formation, which was attributed to its passivated surface. When Fe, ss, and Pt wires were used as the shared electrode under forward polarity CE and positive ESI mode, where the shared electrode acted as a cathode with respect to CE inlet and as an anode with respect to MS inlet, reduction of water at the cathodic end of the electrode and, in the case of ss and Pt wires, oxidation of water at the anodic end of the shared electrode produced a significant amount of bubbles. Under these conditions, however, a buffer containing 50 mM p-benzoquinone completely suppressed both cathodic reduction and anodic oxidation of water for CE currents up to 4 microA. Reduction of p-benzoquinone at the cathodic end of the shared electrode to hydroquinone, and oxidation of this hydroquinone at the anodic end of the electrode, replaced reduction and oxidation of water, eliminating bubble formation. A 0.1% acetic acid solution saturated with I2 was also found to suppress bubble formation at the cathode for CE currents up to 3 microA; however, strong iodine adduct ions were observed under CE/ESI-MS when a mixture of peptides was analyzed. The application of iron as an in-capillary electrode for the analysis of a peptide mixture and a protein digest demonstrated a high separation efficiency similar to when hydroquinone was used as a redox buffer.

Hydroquinone as a buffer additive for suppression of bubbles formed by electrochemical oxidation of the CE buffer at the outlet electrode in capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry.

Hydroquinone was found to suppress bubble formation at the outlet electrode of a sheathless capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometer by replacing the oxidation of water (2H2O(1)<-->O2(g) + 4H+ + 4e) with that of more easily oxidized hydroquinone (hydroquinone<-->p-benzoquinone + 2H+ + 2e). Formation of p-benzoquinone replaces the formation of oxygen gas, effectively suppressing gas bubble formation. Several electrode materials, including platinum, gold-coated stainless steel, and stainless steel wires, were tested. However, hydroquinone suppressed bubbles only at the platinum electrode. Combination of the in-capillary electrode sheathless interface using platinum wire, hydroquinone as a buffer additive, and pressure programming at the inlet of the capillary electrophoresis provided a rugged high efficiency interface for analysis of protein digests using CE/ESI-MS.

High-performance capillary electrophoresis of proteins from the fluid lining of the lungs of rats exposed to perfluoroisobutylene

Measurements of the biochemical constituents in the fluid lining of the lung can be used for diagnosing and assessing lung disorders. To facilitate such measurements, a high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method has been developed by which the proteins in lung fluid can be analyzed. The lung fluid was obtained by a bronchoalveolar lavage procedure using 48 ml of physiological saline to wash out the lung fluid of rats. The proteins were precipitated from the fluid with 10 volumes of acetone and concentrated by dissolution in 2 ml of water containing 0.2% of trifluoroacetic acid. Aliquots of these samples (5 μl) were then injected into a Bio-Rad HPE-100 capillary electrophoresis instrument fitted with a 50 cm × 50 μm I.D. coated capillary filled with 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 2.5). With phosphate buffer in the outlet electrode chamber (cathode) and water in the inlet electrode chamber (anode), the proteins were loaded into the capillary electrophoretically for 10 s at 10 kV constant voltage. The inlet electrode chamber was then filled with phosphate buffer and HPCE was performed at 8 kV constant voltage. Six major protein fractions were resolved in 35 min, and were detected by UV absorption at 200 nm. The procedure was used to compare the lung fluid proteins of normal untreated rats with those of rats exposed by inhalation to perfluoroisobutylene (PFIB) at a concentration of 100 mg/m 3. It was found that PFIB induced pulmonary edema involving a translocation of blood compartment proteins into the lung's alveolar compartment. Comparison of the HPCE fractions with similar fractions obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography confirmed albumin, transferrin and IgG as three major proteins translocated into the alveolar space after PFIB exposure.