Reticulated Vitreous Carbon Electrodes for Gas Phase Pulsed Corona Reactors

Abstract

A new design for gas phase pulsed corona reactors incorporating reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes is demonstrated to be effective for the removal of nitrogen oxides from synthetic air mixtures. The reactor consists of a Plexiglass tube with porous reticulated carbon disk electrodes placed perpendicularly to the cylinder axis. Streamers propagate between the reticulated carbon disks providing a uniform exposure of the flowing gas stream to the electrical discharge. This mode of operation allows for convenient reactor scale-up and staging while maintaining the inter-electrode spacing in a moderate range thus precluding the need for higher voltage power supplies. It is further envisioned that the reactor can be operated will multiple sets of electrodes placed in series down the length of the reactor in order to facilitate high efficiency removal of air pollutants. Initial experiments with nitrogen oxide (NO) mixed in dry synthetic air at room temperature and pressure shows that the NO, as expected in an oxidizing environment, is converted to nitrogen dioxide with pulsed corona treatment. Most remarkable, however, is that for the higher operating voltages (55 and 61 kV) and longer residence times (above 24 sec.) the nitrogen dioxide and total NOx, even in dry air, was reduced.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA368843

Entities

People

  • B. R. Locke
  • H. Hanson
  • M. Kirkpatrick
  • W. C. Finney

Organizations

  • Florida A&M University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Diameters
  • Dielectric Gases
  • Electric Fields
  • Electrodes
  • Gases
  • High Voltage
  • Low Voltage
  • Nitrogen Oxides
  • Organic Compounds
  • Oxides
  • Power Supplies
  • Voltage

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Technology.
  • Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster