Tiago Da Ponte Silva

Optical characterization of a microwave pulsed discharge used for dissociation of CO2

Conversion of CO2 into CO and O is studied in a flowing gas surfaguide pulsed microwave discharge operating with CO2 and CO2 + N2 gas mixtures under different conditions. Optical emission spectroscopy, including actinometry (using N2), vibrational (N2 molecule) and rotational (CO and N2 molecules) analysis are utilized. Both time- and space-resolved measurements are performed. The results show the essential changes of the CO2 conversion rate, its energetic efficiency, and the gas and vibrational temperatures along the gas flow direction in the discharge. The spatial distribution of the power absorbed in the plasma is analyzed. It is also confirmed that the vibrational excitation is a key factor in the CO2 dissociation process in this type of plasma. It is suggested that the obtained dissociation rates can be further optimized by varying the gas composition, as well as the power applied to the discharge.

The influence of power and frequency on the filamentary behavior of a flowing DBD-application to the splitting of CO2

In this experimental study, a flowing dielectric barrier discharge operating at atmospheric pressure is used for the splitting of CO2 into O2 and CO. The influence of the applied frequency and plasma power on the microdischarge properties is investigated to understand their role on the CO2 conversion. Electrical measurements are carried out to explain the conversion trends and to characterize the microdischarges through their number, their lifetime, their intensity and the induced electrical charge. Their influence on the gas and electrode temperatures is also evidenced through optical emission spectroscopy and infrared imaging. It is shown that, in our configuration, the conversion depends mostly on the charge delivered in the plasma and not on the effective plasma voltage when the applied power is modified. Similarly, at constant total current, a better conversion is observed at low frequencies, where a less filamentary discharge regime with a higher effective plasma voltage than that at a higher frequency is obtained.

DBD in burst mode: solution for more efficient CO2 conversion?

CO2 conversion into value-added products has gained significant interest over the few last years, as the greenhouse gas concentrations constantly increase due to anthropogenic activities. Here we report on experiments for CO2 conversion by means of a cold atmospheric plasma using a cylindrical flowing dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. A detailed comparison of this DBD ignited in a so-called burst mode (i.e. where an AC voltage is applied during a limited amount of time) and pure AC mode is carried out to evaluate their effect on the conversion of CO2 as well as on the energy efficiency. Decreasing the duty cycle in the burst mode from 100% (i.e. corresponding to pure AC mode) to 40% leads to a rise in the conversion from 16--26% and to a rise in the energy efficiency from 15 to 23%. Based on a detailed electrical analysis, we show that the conversion correlates with the features of the microfilaments. Moreover, the root-mean-square voltage in the burst mode remains constant as a function of the process time for the duty cycles \textless{}70%, while a higher duty cycle or the usual pure AC mode leads to a clear voltage decay by more than 500 V, over approximately 90 s, before reaching a steady state regime. The higher plasma voltage in the burst mode yields a higher electric field. This causes the increasing the electron energy, and therefore their involvement in the CO2 dissociation process, which is an additional explanation for the higher CO2 conversion and energy efficiency in the burst mode.

Simple method for gas temperature determination in CO 2 -containing discharges

A simple gas temperature determination method based on the line ratio between two rotational peaks from the CO Angstrom rotational emission band is reported. A formula based on CO spectral synthesis provides a way for temperature control in plasmas containing CO molecules. This approach is validated in a CO2 flowing gas surfaguide microwave discharge operating at 2.45 GHz. The gas temperature results are compared with the ones obtained using a Boltzmann plot approach, as well as using direct comparison of measured and calculated rotational spectra of the same rotational band.

Study of Ar and Ar-CO2 microwave surfaguide discharges by optical spectroscopy

A surfaguide microwave discharge operating at 2.45 GHz in Ar and Ar-CO2 mixtures is studied using diagnostics methods based on optical emission spectroscopy. The population densities of Ar metastable and resonant states of the lowest group of excited levels ( 1sx) are investigated for several experimental conditions using the self-absorption technique. It is found that the densities of these levels, ranging from 1017 to 1016 m−3 for the pure Ar case, are dependent on the discharge pressure and applied power. The electron temperature and electron density are calculated via the balances of creation/loss mechanisms of radiative and metastable levels. In the range of the studied experimental conditions (50–300 W of applied power and 0.5–6 Torr of gas pressure), the results have shown that lower values of electron temperature correspond to higher values of power and pressure in the discharge. Adding CO2 to the argon plasma results in a considerable decrease (about 3 orders of magnitude) of the Ar metastable at...

Enhancing the Greenhouse Gas Conversion Efficiency in Microwave Discharges by Power Modulation

Scientific interest to the plasma-assisted greenhouse gas conversion continuously increases nowadays, as a part of the global Green Energy activities. Among the plasma sources suitable for conversion of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, the non-equilibrium (low-temperature) discharges where the electron temperature is considerably higher than the gas temperature, represent special interest. The flowing gas discharges sustained by microwave radiation are proven to be especially suitable for molecular gas conversion due to high degree of non-equilibrium they possess. In this Chapter the optimization of CO2 conversion efficiency in microwave discharges working in pulsed regime is considered. The pulsed energy delivery represents new approach for maximization of CO2 conversion solely based on the discharge “fine-tuning”, i. e. without the additional power expenses. In our work several discharge parameters along the gas flow direction in the discharge have been studied using various diagnostic techniques, such as optical actinometry, laser-induced fluorescence, and gas chromatography. The results show that CO2 conversion efficiency can be essentially increased solely based on the plasma pulse frequency tuning. The obtained results are explained by the relation between the plasma pulse parameters and the characteristic time of the relevant energy transfer processes in the discharge.