Hydrogen sulfide dissociation in a barrier discharge plasma

The authors studied the decomposition of hydrogen sulfide in a barrier discharge. The choice of a barrier discharge was not made by chance. It possesses the following properties resulting in its having advantage over other types of discharges. (1) Use of a barrier discharge permits one to obtain superequilibrium atom concentrations for a given temperature owing to the nonisothermic plasma of a barrier discharge, i.e., along with the existence of a relatively low molecular gas temperature there is a very high electron gas temperature; this temperature difference is typical of an isobaric potential in the low temperature plasma of a barrier discharge, which lasts till cessation of operation; (2) a large number of microscopic discharges fill the entire discharge zone and as a consequence, the charged particles attain very high energies, assuring their intense destructive action; (3) the mean gas temperature in the barrier discharge hardly exceeds the temperature of the surroundings so there is no significant heat loss. 6 refs., 1 fig