James Timothy Shawcross

Modelling of non-thermal plasma aftertreatment of exhaust gas streams

A reaction mechanism has been developed that is appropriate for the plasma aftertreatment of diesel exhaust gas. It is based on a simulated gas mixture containing propene, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen. The reaction mechanism has been used to determine the end-products from the plasma processing and their concentrations using a chemical kinetics modelling procedure. It has been validated by a range of experiments using the same gas mixture with a packed bed, a dielectric barrier plasma reactor and a wide range of end-product analysis techniques. Using a wide range of experimental conditions has enabled us to validate the model and its predictions and to critically evaluate several alternative reaction mechanisms for the oxidation of propene and the formation of end-products in a more systematic and reliable manner than before.