Three-electrode plasma reactor for the removal of toxic gases

Electrical and spectroscopic measurement for the characterization of a novel three- electrode plasma reactor for the treatment of toxic gases is presented. The three-electrode discharge consists in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) combined with a corona discharge (CD). The DBD is generated by applying an alternating high voltage signal between two circular aluminium plate electrodes attached to opposite sides of a disk made of dielectric material. The CD is generated applying a continuous negative high voltage to an external cylindrical mesh electrode, coaxial with the DBD electrode system. The gap between the edge of the DBD system and the mesh electrode is approximately 20 mm wide. Up to five DBD electrode systems can be connected in parallel inside the reactor, axially separated from each other by 30 mm. The electrical characterization consisted in the measurement of the current between the DBD system and the external mesh, and the voltages of the electrodes. In order to understand the dynamics of the streamers, a theoretical determination of the laplacian electric field generated by the biased electrodes was done. Optical emission spectroscopy was performed in the range of wavelengths 280-480 nm, containing the typical spectral bands 2^nd positive and 1^st negative systems of molecular nitrogen. (paper)