A Study of Ozone Generation by Negative Corona Discharge Through Different Plasma Chemistry Models

The Steady radial distribution of chemical species in a wire‐to‐cylinder ozone generator filled with pure oxygen has been computed by applying four different plasma chemistry models of increasing complexity. The most complete model considers ten species (e, O₂ ⁺, O₂ ^?, O₃ ^?, O^?, O₂, O₂(¹Δ_g), O₂(¹∑_g ⁺), O and O₃) and 79 reactions, including ionization by electron impact, electron attachment and detachment, electron-ion recombination, charge transfer, etc. The chemical model is coupled with the electrical model through Poisson's equation. The spatially averaged ozone density has been computed as a function of the current intensity and compared with the experimental values obtained by UV spectroscopy.     

Dimensional Analysis of Detrimental Ozone Generation by Negative Wire-to-Plate Corona Discharge in Both Dry and Humid Air

A semi-empirical equation is derived to provide a correlation between the ozone generation rate of a negative wire-to-plate corona discharge in both dry and humid air and a series of design/operating parameters. A basic correlation is first derived by applying dimensional analysis on negative wire-to-plate corona discharge in dry air. Further development on the basic correlation is carried out by integrating the influence of humidity. The derived equation is validated by previously reported experimental data and numerical model. The new semi-empirical equation is comprehensive and useful in guiding the design/operation of indoor corona devices under actual ambient operating conditions.     

Experimental Study of Ozone Generation by Negative Corona Discharge in Mixtures of N2 and O2

Ozone generation by negative DC corona discharge in N₂-O₂ mixtures has been experimentally investigated using a coaxial wire-cylinder corona reactor operating at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The experiments have been carried out under different gas flows (15 cm³ min^?1 to 200 cm³ min^?1) and gas compositions (5% to 90% of O₂), and the effect of these parameters on the corona current, the ozone density and the efficiency of the ozone generator have been analyzed. The global rate coefficients for ozone formation and destruction have also been evaluated, and their values compared with those reported by other authors. The maximum efficiency for ozone production was found in gas mixtures with oxygen content about 70–80%.     

A Study of the Physical and Chemical Processes Active in Corona Discharges Fed by Carbon Dioxide

Ozone generation in both positive and negative corona discharges DC corona, both operated in glow regime, feed by dry CO₂ has been studied. Higher ozone concentrations were observed in negative corona discharges. Ozone formation was found to be strongly dependent upon both the flow rate of the gas and on the radius of the outer electrode. The physical characteristics of the discharge were monitored through measurement of the discharge current. Small increases in the gas flow rate were observed to cause a significant increase in the discharge current of a negative corona discharge but little/no effect was observed in positive corona.     

The Effect of Relative Humidity on Ozone Production by Corona Discharge in Oxygen or Air – A Numerical Simulation – Part I : Oxygen

The simulation of the temporal evolution of the various neutral gaseous species studied (O, O₃, H, OH, HO₂, H₂O₂) use corona effects. The physical conditions of the discharge were used. The reactions take place in dry or humid oxygen, after the dissociation of O₂ and H₂O by an electronic pulse. When water vapor is present, there is a probability of production of H₂O₂ in oxygen. Temperature and humidity have cumulative effects. With multiple pulses, the O₃ maximal concentration is obtained for a limited number of pulses.     

Ozone Production in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge with Ultrasonic Irradiation

Ozone production has been investigated using an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in pure O₂ at room temperature with and without ultrasonic irradiation. It was driven at a frequency of either 15 kHz or ～40 kHz. The ozone production was highly dependent on the O₂ flow rate and the discharge power. Furthermore, powerful ultrasonic irradiation at a fundamental frequency of ～30 kHz with the sound pressure level of ～150 dB into the discharge can improve the ozone production efficiency, particularly when operated at the frequency of 15 kHz at the flow rate of 15 L/min.     

The Effect of Relative Humidity on Ozone Production by Corona Discharge in Oxygen or Air – A Numerical Simulation – Part II : Air

The simulation of the temporal evolution of the various neutral gaseous species studied (O, O₃, H, OH, HO₂, H₂O₂, N, NO, NO₂, NO₃, N₂O, N₂O₅, HNO₂, and HNO₃) use corona effects. The physical conditions of the discharge were used. The reactions take place in dry or humid air, after the dissociation of O₂, N₂, and H₂O by an electronic pulse. When water vapor is present, there is a probability of production of H₂O₂, HNO₂, and HNO₃ in air. Temperature and humidity have cumulative effects. With multiple pulses, the O₃ maximal concentration is obtained for a limited number of pulses.     

A Study of the Physical and Chemical Processes Active in Ozone Generation by Carbon Dioxide Fed Corona Discharges

Ozone generation in both positive and negative corona discharges DC corona, both operated in glow regime, feed by dry CO₂ has been studied. Higher ozone concentrations were observed in negative corona discharges. Ozone formation was found to be strongly dependent upon both the flow rate of the gas and on the radius of the outer electrode. The physical characteristics of the discharge were monitored through measurement of the discharge current. Small increases in the gas flow rate were observed to cause a significant increase in the discharge current of a negative corona discharge but little/no effect was observed in positive corona.     

Ozone Production: Economical Operation of a Cold Plasma Reactor

For a fixed value of the reduced electrical field, the economical operation of a cold plasma reactor generating ozone is determined by a particular value of the energy supplied by the field per molecule of reactant. Evidences are given in the ozone formation from air and oxygen. Moreover, influence of the flow and reduced electrical field upon the production is emphasized.     

Productivity and Efficiency of Ozone Synthesis in Coplanar Discharge Arrangements

In order determine the potential of coplanar discharge arrangements with short electrode distances for the production of ozone, a numerical model of the discharge behavior has been developed. The temporal and spatial distributions of the discharge parameters e.g. those of the field strength, the densities of the charged particles in the gas region and on the dielectric surface and that of the energy release reveal that the ozone production results from the electron phase of the discharge. Quantitative data of the productivity and efficiency of the ozone yield in a certain system are presented, which are in agreement with experimental results.     

Ozone Production in a High Frequency Dielectric Barrier Discharge Generator

Factors that affect the performance of an expanded-mesh dielectric barrier discharge ozone cell were investigated. A gas feed pf 94% O₂, 4% Ar and 1% N₂ was used. An improvement in the productivity (g ozone/kWh) of about 20 % was achieved by doubling the gas flow rate through the cell. Decreasing the cell operating frequency (in the range 72 kHz to 19 kHz) increased the productivity of the ozone generator at constant power. The ozone production increased approximately in proportion to the input power; however productivity did not vary significantly with power above a minimum level. As the cell voltage was increased the dependence of productivity on power or frequency was reduced. Changing the feed gas temperature between ? 5^°C and + 42^°C had no effect on productivity. Finer meshes drew more power than coarser ones for a given voltage. Using a thinner mesh for the centre electrode increased productivity. The best results were obtained with a 6 × 3 × 1.86 mm titanium mesh giving a productivity of 110 g ozone/kWhr at 30–60 W, 1500–1900V and 23 KHz.     

Influence of Field Strength and Energy Distribution of Different Barrier Discharge Arrangements on Ozone Generation

Because of different field strength and energy density distributions in volume (VD), surface (SD) and coplanar discharge (CD) arrangements the ozone yield will differ in general. While in VD configurations the initial field strength distribution is rather uniform, the situation is quite different in CD and especially SD devices. The distributions change during discharge development as well as the energy density in the discharge region and by this the ozone yields. The situation in SD arrangements is discussed in detail and is compared with those in VD and CD configurations.     

High Frequency Testing and Modeling of Silent Discharge Ozone Generators

This paper deals with high frequency modeling of silent discharge ozone generators (OGs). The electrical characteristics of two simple silent discharge OGs operated at low and high frequency are analyzed and compared. An equivalent electric model is proposed for the operation of the OG at high frequency. This model can be used to optimize the electronic power converter used to supply silent discharge OGs at high frequency. Experimental results measured in the laboratory for two particular OGs are presented to validate the proposed model.     

Optimizing Factors on High Concentration of Ozone Production with Dielectric Barrier Discharge

The gap distance, electrode material, voltage and gas flow velocity were optimized with gas pressure variation of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) for producing high concentration of ozone. There exists an optimum gas pressure at which the highest ozone concentration is produced with other parameters being fixed. This optimum gas pressure value changes accordingly as the other parameters changed. As the discharge continues at the optimum pressure, the ozone concentration could increase or decrease slowly. This aging effect has different characteristics with the metal electrode material and the impurity level of the oxygen gas used for ozone generation. The aging effect is supposed to be related with the catalytic effect of metal oxide, which is generated in the discharge zone. The change in the characteristic of optimum pressure by the other parameters, indicate that the ozone concentration is deeply related with the filament self-organization characteristics of DBD. At the final optimized condition, the ozone concentration was higher than 22.5 wt.%.     

Simulation of Ozone Synthesis in Oxygen- and Air-Fed Surface Discharge Arrangements

Surface discharge (SD) arrangements are used in commercial ozone generators like conventional arrangements with a gas gap. While in oxygen the characteristics of the ozone production are comparable in both arrangements, the efficiency of ozone production from air is significant lower in SDs. From experimental results it is believed that high temperatures in the discharge cause this “poisoning” of air-fed SD ozone generators. To clarify this, the ozone synthesis from air near atmospheric pressure is investigated with the help of a two-dimensional self-consistent modeling of the discharge development and the relevant plasma-chemical reactions. The temperature in the discharge area is determined from energy densities of electrons and ions and included in the relevant chemical reaction system. The results show a significant temperature increase in front of the metallic surface electrodes combined with an increased concentration of nitrogen oxides.     

Ozone Generation in Air by a DC-Excited Multi-Pin-to-Plane Plasma Source

In the fields of material processing and environmental technology, atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasmas embrace a broad range of applications. Ozone generation is one of them. This paper discusses a DC-excited atmospheric pressure glow discharge in a multi-pin-to-plane electrode configuration for the production of ozone in air. The influence of discharge current, temperature, flow rate and air humidity is investigated. A simple model is proposed to predict the experimental results for the ozone production and ozone concentrations.     

Enhancement of Energy Yield for Ozone Production via Packed-Bed Reactors

The present work aims to enhance the energy yield of ozone production via packed-bed reactors. It has been experimentally demonstrated that ozone concentration and corresponding energy yield achieved by packed-bed reactors are significantly higher than that achieved by DBD only. The so-called packed-bed reactor is constructed by packing granular dielectric pellets within a DBD reactor. Two kinds of dielectric materials including glass beads and Al₂O₃ pellets are tested. Experimental results indicate that an ozone generator packed with Al₂O₃ pellets results in a higher ozone production compared with one packed with glass beads. The maximum ozone production takes place when Al₂O₃ pellets with diameter of 2 mm are packed. The maximum ozone concentration, ozone production rate, and energy yield achieved in this study are 61 gO₃/m³, 3.7 gO₃/hr, and 173 gO₃/kWh, respectively. The highest ozone concentration and energy yield achieved with the packed-bed reactor are about 8 and 12 times high as those with DBD reactor, respectively. Although the packed-bed reactors have a shortcoming of high temperature, it can be solved by adding a cooling system and the ozone generation can be improved thereof. As a result, the packed-bed reactor is a promising and state-of-the-art technology for ozone generation based on this study.     

Ozone and Nitrogen Oxides Generation in Gas Flow Enhanced Hollow Needle to Plate Discharge In Air

Siemens made the first ozone generation system by corona discharge about hundred and fifty years ago. At present mainly two types of atmospheric pressure electrical discharges - corona discharge and dielectric barrier discharge are used for production of ozone. Another type of discharge, which can be used for this purpose, is multineedle to plate electrical discharge enhanced by the gas flow. Contrary to the conventional arrangement when the gas is flowing around the needles we studied the discharge in which the gas was pumped through the needles. Results of studies of ozone and nitrogen oxides production by DC electrical discharge in air at atmospheric pressure with a single hollow needle to plate electrode configuration enhanced by the flow of air through the needle for both polarities of the needle, different airflow rates and currents are presented in this paper.     

Experimental Study on Ozone Synthesis via Dielectric Barrier Discharges

The characteristics of ozone generation using a dielectric barrier discharge reactor were investigated experimentally. Results indicate that ozone concentration increases with increasing applied voltage and gas residence time. In addition to applied voltage, ozone generation rate varies with reactor configuration as well. Optimum ozone generation rates can be reached at the specific gas residence time for a given applied voltage and gas composition. At the same applied voltage, the reactor with a single dielectric barrier results in a higher ozone generation rate in comparison with the reactor having double dielectric barriers. Given a constant N₂/O₂ ratio in the feed gas, NO_x concentration increases as applied voltage and gas residence time increase. Results indicate that maximum NO_x concentration is reached when the N₂/O₂ ratio of feed gas is 4.