Removal of particulate matter from an air stream by a packed dielectric barrier discharge

This study elucidates the feasibility of using a packed dielectric barrier discharge approach to remove particulate matter from an air stream. The experimental results reveal that the particle removal efficiency of the packed dielectric barrier discharge system rose to 92.2% for 0.3 μm particles as the discharge voltage was increased to 20 kV at an operating frequency of 60 Hz. Only when the discharge voltage was sufficiently high to remove particulate matter did the particle removal efficiency increase with the operating frequency. The power required to adjust the discharge voltage was less than that required to adjust the operating frequency at the particular removal efficiency. Accordingly, energy can be saved in a packed dielectric barrier discharge system by adjusting the discharge voltage rather than the operating frequency to remove particulate matter from the air stream.