NO/sub x/ concentration using adsorption and nonthermal plasma desorption

The gas flow rates for hazardous air pollutant emissions are generally large and their concentrations are low (in parts per million levels). When we try to directly treat the large flow rate and low concentration exhaust gas, the size of the equipment becomes large, resulting in high operating cost. The objective of this study is to convert the exhaust gas with large flow rate and low concentration into the one with small flowrate and high concentration by desorbing the absorbed gas from the absorbent pellets packed inside a barrier-type packed-bed nonthermal plasma reactor. In this paper, we especially focus on the difficulties of treating NO/sub x/. The absorbent pellets were molecular sieve spheres (MS-13X) made of zeolite with 1-nm pore diameter. The plasma desorption was carried out by applying the high voltage to the plasma reactor using any one of AC 60-Hz, AC 20-kHz, or pulse 210-Hz power supplies. We found out that NO/sub x/ could be desorbed effectively in the repeated adsorption and desorption process. Since the surface temperature increased rapidly, the desorption with AC 20 kHz took place not only by the electron impacts but also by the heat addition. In the desorption using the pulse power supply, the concentration rapidly increased and became maximum in a relatively short time. It was effective to close the reactor in the desorption process. It was successful to achieve a nonthermal plasma concentrating desorption of NO/sub x/ as the adsorption/desorption was repeated after more than 12 times.     

Low-temperature soot incineration of diesel particulate filter using remote nonthermal plasma induced by a pulsed barrier discharge

Regulations regarding automotive diesel engine emissions become more severe every year, and it is difficult to meet the requirements with only combustion improvement techniques. More effective post-processing technology is desired especially for particulate matter (PM), such as carbon soots. Although the use of a ceramic diesel particulate filter (DPF) is now a leading technology for PM removal, the problem exists for the soot removal or regeneration at low temperature, especially at cold start and engine brake operation. In the present study, a regeneration of a DPF is investigated using indirect or remote nonthermal plasma (NTP) method. The NTP-treated air is injected into exhaust gas, and the NO is oxidized to NO/sub 2/. The induced NO/sub 2/ and activated oxygen species are used to incinerate carbon soot deposited on the DPF. It is confirmed experimentally that the pressure drop decreases when the plasma is turned on and the regeneration of the DPF is possible at the low temperature of 300/spl deg/C. The specific energy density is 22 Wh/m/sup 3/ (= 78 J/L). Although the condition of the NTP is not optimized in the present study, further improvement is required in the energy efficiency.     

Use of zeolite filter in portable equipment for recovering SF/sub 6/ in SF/sub 6//N/sub 2/ mixtures

We propose using zeolite filter in portable processing equipment to separate and recover SF/sub 6/ from SF/sub 6//N/sub 2/ mixtures. Testing of a prototype filter has shown that SF/sub 6/ is completely adsorbed by the filter, and the exhaust gas from the filter is pure N/sub 2/ (i.e., at an undetectable level of SF/sub 6/ measured by a gas chromatograph). The SF/sub 6/ fraction of the sorbate phase (solid phase) has been evaluated from the tests, and it is a high fraction as expected. For example, 70% sorbate corresponding to processing a mixture of 5% SF/sub 6/, and 83% sorbate corresponding to processing a mixture containing 10% SF/sub 6/. The process of releasing the SF/sub 6/ from the filter and renewing the filter by thermal swing adsorption (TSA) technique has also been investigated to determine a commercial operating temperature of 150/spl deg/C. The feasibility of applying this new concept in a portable SF/sub 6//N/sub 2/ mixture processing equipment is discussed and compared with an alternative system that the authors developed previously which was based on pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technique and also using zeolite.     

Performance evaluation of nonthermal plasma reactors for NO oxidation in diesel engine exhaust gas treatment

The discharge plasma-chemical hybrid process for NO/sub x/ removal from the flue gas emissions is an extremely effective and economical approach in comparison with the conventional selective catalytic reduction system. In this paper we bring out a relative comparison of several discharge plasma reactors from the point of NO removal efficiency. The reactors were either energized by AC or by repetitive pulses. Ferroelectric pellets were used to study the effect of pellet assisted discharges on gas cleaning. Diesel engine exhaust, at different loads, is used to approximately simulate the flue gas composition. Investigations were carried out at room temperature with respect to the variation of reaction products against the discharge power. Main emphasis is laid on the oxidation of NO to NO/sub 2/, without reducing NO/sub x/ concentration (i.e., minimum reaction byproducts), with least power consumption. The produced NO/sub 2/ will be totally converted to N/sub 2/ and Na/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ using Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/. The AC packed-bed reactor and pelletless pulsed corona reactor showed better performance, with minimum reaction products for a given power, when the NO concentration was low (/spl sim/100 ppm). When the engine load exceeds 50% (NO>300 ppm) there was not much decrease in NO reduction and more or less all the reactors performed equally. The total operating cost of the plasma-chemical hybrid system becomes $4010/ton of NO, which is 1/3-1/5 of the conventional selective catalytic process.     

Behavior of N/sub 2/ and nitrogen oxides in nonthermal plasma chemical processing of hazardous air pollutants

Nonthermal plasma chemical behavior of N/sub 2/-O/sub 2/ mixed gases and nitrogen oxides such as N/sub 2/O, NO, and NO/sub 2/ was investigated to obtain baseline information on the generation of active oxygen species and the formation of inorganic byproducts in the nonthermal plasma chemical processing of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) with a ferroelectric packed-bed reactor. Ozone concentrations were too low, even in air, to oxidatively decompose 300-1000 ppm of HAPs. The O/sub 2/ concentration in N/sub 2/-O/sub 2/ was the determining factor in the formation of all the nitrogen oxides. N/sub 2/O formation was enhanced with increases in O/sub 2/ concentration and in specific energy density, while a threshold value was observed at around 5% of O/sub 2/ concentration in the formation of NO and NO/sub 2/. Rate-suppressing effect by O/sub 2/, detailed byproduct analyses, and thermochemical data suggest that NO/sub x/ decomposes in its reactions with nitrogen atoms derived from N/sub 2/ dissociation, and that the unimolecular N-O cleavage predominantly occurs for N/sub 2/O. The behavior of nitrogen oxides and their precursors was not affected by hydrogen atoms evolved from hydrogen-rich HAPs such as ethylene and benzene. Halogenated HAPs enhanced NO/sub x/ formation and NO/sub 2/ selectivity. Different additive effects of chlorinated and brominated HAPs were observed in the formation of NO/sub x/ and N/sub 2/O, indicating the involvement of different active oxygen species.     

Simultaneous removal of NO/sub x/, SO/sub x/, and CO/sub 2/ at elevated temperature using a plasma-chemical hybrid process

In previous studies, the authors confirmed that the plasma-chemical combined hybrid process for controlling NO flue gas emission was extremely effective and economical in comparison with the conventional selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and other technologies. In the present study, we carried out experiments on the simultaneous removal of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ at elevated temperature using the plasma-chemical hybrid process. A series of experiments was performed to quantify all the reaction byproducts such as N/sub 2/O, CO, HNO/sub 2/, HNO/sub 3/, NO/sub 3//sup -/, and SO/sub 4//sup -/ to evaluate the simultaneous NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ removal efficiency. The oxidation from NO to NO/sub 2/ without decreasing NO/sub x/ concentration (i.e., minimum reaction byproducts) and with least power consumption is the key for the optimum operation of the plasma reactor. The produced NO/sub 2/ was totally converted to N/sub 2/ and Na/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ with Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ or Na/sub 2/S with and without NaOH using the barrier-type packed-bed plasma reactor followed by the packed-column chemical reactor. The NO/sub 2/ reduction was more effective for Na/sub 2/S than Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ but produces H/sub 2/S with Na/sub 2/S. For both cases at least five times the stoichiometric amount of chemicals were required for complete NO/sub 2/ reduction. Nearly 100% of NO/sub x/ and SO /sub 2/ and 40% Of CO/sub 2/ simultaneous removal were achieved with less than 5 ppm of N/sub 2/O and CO. The operating cost was less than 1/4 the SCR process. The additional SO/sub 2/ treatment system can be eliminated.     

The stoichiometry of thermal oxidation

At a stoichiometrical relation of silicon and oxygen during the growth of a rapid thermal silicon-oxide layer (RTO) the electrical parameters of the corresponding metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitor show significant behavior. Combining the Henry-Dalton law and the Boyle-Mariotte law with the Deal-Grove model allows an estimation of the fundamental (T, t, C) process, parameters, temperature, time and concentration of the reactive gas for a stoichiometrical processing of ultra thin SiO/sub 2/ films. Electrical measurements show the (T, t, C)-dependency of I-V, time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) and C-V measurements especially of direct tunneling currents j/sub DT/, relative difference of tunneling currents /spl Delta//sub RDT/, charge-to-breakdown Q/sub BD/ and interface state density D/sub it/.     

Comparative study on the spectroscopic properties of Nd:GdVO/sub 4/ and Nd:YVO/sub 4/ with hybrid process

We have proposed a hybrid procedure for determining spectroscopic parameters for uniaxial solid-state laser crystals. Using our procedure, the spectroscopic properties of Nd:GdVO/sub 4/ were evaluated and compared to those of Nd:YVO/sub 4/. As a result, the peaks of absorption and stimulated emission cross sections of Nd:GdVO/sub 4/ in /spl pi/-polarization were determined to be 2.6 and 10.3/spl times/10/sup -19/ cm/sup 2/, respectively, and were smaller than those of Nd:YVO/sub 4/. On the other hand, the fluorescence lifetime of 1 at% Nd:GdVO/sub 4/ was evaluated to be 83.4 /spl mu/s, and was similar to 84.1 /spl mu/s of 1 at% Nd:YVO/sub 4/. Therefore, the product of stimulated emission cross section and fluorescence lifetime (/spl sigma//sub em//spl tau//sub f/ product) of Nd:GdVO/sub 4/ was smaller than that of Nd:YVO/sub 4/ under 1 at% of Nd/sup 3+/ doping concentration. The radiative lifetime of spontaneous emission of Nd:GdVO/sub 4/ was 168 /spl mu/s and was 1.9 times longer than that of Nd:YVO/sub 4/. Because of the low value of radiative quantum efficiency of Nd:GdVO/sub 4/ (50%), careful cavity design is required for creating a well performing solid-state laser with Nd:GdVO/sub 4/, based on the larger /spl sigma//sub em//spl tau//sub f/ product rather than the /spl sigma//sub em//spl tau//sub f/ product of Nd:YAG.     

Electron mobility in dense argon gas at several temperatures

The mobility /spl mu/ of excess electrons in dense Argon gas was measured as a function of the applied electric field E and of the gas density N at several temperatures in the range 142.6 < T < 200 K, encompassing the critical temperature T/sub c/ = 150.86 K We report here measurements up to N /spl ap/ 7 nm/sup -3/, close to the critical density, N/sub c/ /spl ap/ 8.1 nm/sup -3/. At all temperatures, and up to moderately high densities, the density-normalized mobility /spl mu/N shows the usual electric field dependence in a gas with a Ramsauer-Townsend minimum due to the mainly attractive electron-atom interaction. /spl mu/N is constant and field independent for small E, shows a maximum for a reduced field E/N /spl ap/ 4 mTd, and then decreases rapidly with the field. The zero field density-normalized mobility /spl mu//sub 0/N, for all T > T/sub c/, shows the well known anomalous positive density effect, i.e., /spl mu//sub 0/N increases with increasing N. Below T,, however, /spl mu//sub 0/N does not show the expected effect, but features a broad maximum. This appears to be a crossover behavior between the positive density effect shown for T > T, and the small negative effect previously observed for T /spl ap/ 90 K However, the data at all temperatures confirm the interpretation of the anomalous density effect as being essentially due by the density-dependent quantum shift of the electron ground state kinetic energy in a disordered medium as a result of multiple scattering (MS) processes, although other MS processes influence the experimental outcome.     

SF/sub 6/ reclaimer from SF/sub 6//N/sub 2/ mixtures by gas separation with molecular sieving effect

This paper discusses the various methods for sulfur hexafluoride (SF/sub 6/) separation from a mixture of low concentrations of SF/sub 6/ in N/sub 2/ pressure swing adsorption (PSA) with a suitable kind of synthetic zeolite, which has the expected molecular sieving effect. This molecular sieving effect, derived from molecular size difference between SF/sub 6/ and N/sub 2/, is confirmed by the difference between two equivalent volumes filled with SF/sub 6/ and N/sub 2/. Prototype equipment of SF/sub 6/ separation and liquefaction, that is about 1 m cube in size and 150 kg in weight, has been assembled and tested. The ability of gas mixture handling is 13 l/min on average, and the SF/sub 6/ content is reduced to 0.0% (undetectable level) in separated N/sub 2/ to exhaust into the atmosphere.     

Toepler's spark law in a GIS with compressed SF/sub 6/-N/sub 2/ mixture

This paper deals with the experimental measurements and analysis of the formative time lags to breakdown and an estimation of the Toepler's constant for gas gaps, under the application of 50 Hz AC voltage. The experiments were carried out in a 145 kV gas insulated system (GIS) bus duct with pure N/sub 2/, pure SF/sub 6/ and SF/sub 6/-N/sub 2/ mixture as insulating media. The formative time lags to breakdown in the gas gaps were measured using a fast response capacitive sensor. Toepler's spark law has been used to explain the breakdown phenomenon in the GIS and the values of Toepler's constant (k/sub t/), which gives an estimation of the formative time lags, were determined. Results show that the formative time lags vary inversely with gas pressure and the gas mixture concentrations for two gaps studied (0.46 mm and 0.61 mm). In the case of another gap (0.20 mm), the variation in the formative time lags with pressure as well as SE, concentration in the mixture has been found to be negligibly small between gas mixtures, although significant variation can be seen between pure SF/sub 6/ and pure N/sub 2/. Toepler's constant, k/sub t/, increases with gas pressure as well as SF/sub 6/ concentration in the mixture for the gaps studied. Hence, k/sub t/ is a function of the gas pressure and the concentrations of SF/sub 6/ in the gas mixture for the above-mentioned gaps.     

多重富集低NOx燃烧器及其在65t/h锅炉上的应用实践

介绍了一种新型多重富集低NOx燃烧器的结构原理及其在一台65t／h锅炉上的应用情况。应用结果表明,该燃烧器保持了多重富集燃烧器的优良着火稳燃特性,并且有很好的低NOx燃烧性能。与原来的燃烧器相比,采用这种新型燃烧器后,炉膛结焦现象有所改善,飞灰含碳量略有下降,排烟温度没有明显变化。     

Single-stage plasma-chemical process for particulates, NO/sub x/, and SO/sub x/ simultaneous removal

In a previous study, we investigated the simultaneous removal of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ using a plasma-chemical hybrid process and showed nearly 100% of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub x/ removal. In this study, we investigated simultaneous removal of NO/sub x/, SO/sub x/, and particulates using a single-stage wet-type plasma reactor. This reactor consists of a discharge wire and pyrex cylinder, wrapped by the copper mesh where Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ and NaOH solutions flow along the inner wall of the cylinder from the top to the bottom of the reactor. Particulates are charged by pulse corona and collected on the inner wall, and then removed by solutions flow. This method is effective for extremely low. and high-resistivity particles to cause reentrainment or back corona. The plasma was used to oxidize NO to NO/sub 2/, Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ solution to reduce NO/sub 2/ to N/sub 2/ and Na/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, and NaOH solution to neutralize nitric and sulfuric acids in the solutions. Without Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ and NaOH solutions, 95% of NO removal and no SO/sub 2/ conversion were achieved at 2.5 W. With water, 97% of NO and 64% of NO/sub x/ removal were achieved at 2.6 W, and more than 95% of SO/sub 2/ removal was achieved regardless of the discharge power. With Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/ and NaOH solutions, 98% of NO and 75% of NO/sub x/ removal were achieved at 2.9 W, and more than 93% of SO/sub 2/ removal was achieved regardless of the discharge power. For the purpose of enhancement of surface reaction on NO/sub 2/ reduction with Na/sub 2/SO/sub 3/, Raschig rings were placed beneath the plasma section with the effective lengths of 5, 10, and 15 cm. As a result, no significant NO/sub x/ removal was obtained in comparison with no Raschig rings. Regarding the removal efficiency of diesel soots using the plasma-chemical hybrid reactor, more than 90% of particulate removal efficiency was obtained.     

Statistical study for electromigration reliability in dual-damascene Cu interconnects

This paper summarizes results from recent studies on electromigration (EM) reliability of Cu dual-damascene interconnects using a statistical approach. First, mass transport in Cu damascene structure was discussed, where the activation energies for oxide, porous MSQ (methylsilsesquioxane), and organic polymer dielectrics were found to be in the range of 0.8-1.0 eV, suggesting mass transport is dominated by interfacial diffusion at the Cu and SiN/sub x/ cap-layer interface regardless of the dielectric material. Then the impact of low-k inter-layer dielectrics on EM characteristics was investigated by measuring the critical product of current density and conductor length, (jL)/sub c/. Compared with oxide, the weaker mechanical strength of low-k dielectrics reduces (jL)/sub c/ due to less confinement and a smaller back flow stress gradient /spl Delta//spl sigma//L in Cu/low-k interconnects. Extrinsic failure due to interfacial delamination was observed in Cu/organic polymer interconnects, which caused further decrease in (jL)/sub c/. Complementing EM tests, Monte Carlo simulation was developed based on the weakest link approximation to separate the bimodal failure distribution into two individual lognormal distributions and deduce the characteristics of the weak-mode (early) and the strong-mode failures. Failure analysis using FIB confirmed the bimodal failure behavior with void formation at the cathode via bottom found to be responsible for the early failures.     

High-performance solar-blind photodetectors based on Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N heterostructures

Design, fabrication, and characterization of high-performance Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N-based photodetectors for solar-blind applications are reported. Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N heterostructures were designed for Schottky, p-i-n, and metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiodes. The solar-blind photodiode samples were fabricated using a microwave compatible fabrication process. The resulting devices exhibited extremely low dark currents. Below 3fA, leakage currents at 6-V reverse bias were measured on p-i-n samples. The excellent current-voltage (I--V) characteristics led to a detectivity performance of 4.9/spl times/10/sup 14/ cmHz/sup 1/2/W/sup -1/. The MSM devices exhibited photoconductive gain, while Schottky and p-i-n samples displayed 0.09 and 0.11 A/W peak responsivity values at 267 and 261 nm, respectively. A visible rejection of 2/spl times/10/sup 4/ was achieved with Schottky samples. High-speed measurements at 267 nm resulted in fast pulse responses with greater than gigahertz bandwidths. The fastest devices were MSM photodiodes with a maximum 3-dB bandwidth of 5.4 GHz.     

Recovery of shifted MOS parameters induced by focused ion beam exposure

The effects of focused ion beam (FIB) exposure on MOS transistors within a circuit were examined. It was found that FIB exposure does not cause parameter shifts as long as the gate is connected to the drain of other MOS transistors. However, the threshold voltage (V/sub t/) does shift during isolating the gate using a FIB. Further FIB exposure on MOS transistors with a floating gate is shown to cause larger shifts. Thermal annealing was studied to recover shifted V/sub t/. We demonstrated that a 400/spl deg/C-450/spl deg/C anneal could recover shifted V/sub t/ almost completely. Ninety percent recovery can be reached by annealing at 400/spl deg/C-450/spl deg/C for 1-2 hours, and V/sub t/ shifts can be reduced to about 10 mV.     

Noise figure of parametric wavelength conversion with quasi-phase-matched LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguide

An analytical model of the noise accumulation in a chain of parametric wavelength converters is proposed. Signal-to-noise electrical power ratio is analytically given as a function of node number k in a chained transparent node system that consists of optical amplifiers, parametric wavelength converters, and several loss elements including optical transmission fiber with parameters of pump light excess noise /spl beta//sub p/, and average photon numbers per unit time of pump light and input signal , and , respectively, and spontaneous emission factor of optical amplifier n/sub sp/. The signal-to-noise degrades inversely proportional to node number k with the coefficient defined by NF/sup (1)/=2n/sub sp/+/spl beta//sub p// when k is lower than /Bo, where B/sub o/ represents optical bandwidth. The noise figure dependence on pump light quality /spl beta//sub p// and average photon number of input light in a single stage configuration are experimentally evaluated using Er-doped fiber amplifiers and quasi-phase-matched lithium niobate waveguide parametric wavelength conversion.     

The influence of the dielectric strength of the N/sub 2//SF/sub 6/-insulation by conducting particle on the spacer surface

This paper investigates the dielectric properties of various N/sub 2//SF/sub 6/ gas mixtures based upon a cylindrical spacer model with adhering particle on the surface tinder homogeneous field conditions. The investigation involves a comparison with pure SF/sub 6/. The flashover field strength for clean and particle contaminated spacer surface under AC and LI stress is determined. The results of the investigations show the sensitivity of N/sub 2//SF/sub 6/ gas mixtures to conducting particles on spacer surfaces for gas pressures up to 800 kPa. Moreover, the correspondence between pure SF/sub 6/ at pressure range from 100 to 400 kPa and N/sub 2//SF/sub 6/ gas mixtures for AC and lightning impulse (LI) flashover field strength range from 50 to 178 kV/cm is determined. Conclusions are drawn about the ability of SF/sub 6/ gas mixtures to serve as technically efficient media for GIS/GITL. The results shed light on the issue of the SF/sub 6/ reduction and particle detectability in GIS/GITL.     

Hydrogen generation from water, methane, and methanol with nonthermal plasma

Hydrogen generation from water, methane, and methanol was investigated with different types of nonthermal plasma reactors under different conditions. With a ferroelectric packed-bed reactor in N/sub 2/, hydrogen gas yield decreased in the order: methanol > methane > water. A similar trend was observed with a silent discharge plasma reactor, but H/sub 2/ yields were much lower with the latter reactor. At fixed specific energy densities, higher H/sub 2/ yields were obtained at higher gas flow rates in the reactions of the above substrates. The initial water concentration was optimized at ca. 2.0% to obtain the highest rate for H/sub 2/ formation. Under the same conditions, H/sub 2/ yield decreased in the order: Ar>N/sub 2/>air/spl ap/O/sub 2/. The ferroelectric packed-bed reactor could be operated continuously for 10 h without any decrease in its performance in the H/sub 2/ generation from water.     

Flashover voltage of alumina ceramic contaminated by metal vapor in vacuum interrupters

We investigated the influence of metal vapor contamination of ceramic surfaces on flashover voltage (FOV) in vacuum. First, disk shape alumina (Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/) ceramics with surface resistivity (/spl rho/) of 10/sup 2/-10/sup 15/ /spl Omega/ were produced using deposition phenomena of metal vapor emitted from CuCr contacts. The impulse FOV for the ceramics decreased, as /spl rho/ reduced; FOV, the conditioning effect on FOV, and the scattering of FOV decreased when /spl rho/ was below 10/sup 12/ /spl Omega/. Therefore, the criterion value /spl rho/, which maintains excellent flashover performances of ceramic surface, is 10/sup 12/ /spl Omega/. Second, experimental vacuum interrupters (VIs) were produced to measure breakdown voltage before and after forty short-circuit current switchings with 20-40 kA/sub rms/ and were disassembled to measure the /spl rho/ of their inner ceramic surface. In a VI, which has inside diameters at both ends of the main shield much larger than the contact diameter, /spl rho/ was reduced to 10/sup 4/ /spl Omega/, further decreasing breakdown voltage between terminals.