| NUKLEONIKA 2012, 57(2):241-247
STUDIES OF ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE MICROWAVE PLASMAS
USED FOR GAS PROCESSING
Jerzy Mizeraczyk1,2, Mariusz Jasiński1, Helena Nowakowska1, Mirosław Dors1
1 Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, The Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery,
Polish Academy of Sciences, 14 Fiszera Str., 80-952 Gdańsk, Poland
2 Department of Marine Electronics, Gdynia Maritime University,
83 Morska Str., 81-225 Gdynia, Poland
This paper concerns the atmospheric-pressure microwave plasmas and their applications, mainly for gas processing. Several types of atmospheric-pressure microwave sources (MPSs), i.e. surface-wave-sustained MPS, nozzle-type MPSs, nozzleless MPSs, plasma-sheet MPSs and microwave microplasma sources – MmPSs (antenna- and coaxial-line-based) as well as their performance are presented. The presented experimental results on the optimization of selected MPSs are confronted with results of the modelling of the electromagnetic field in them. The paper deals also with the applications of MPSs for the processing of gases. Two types of the plasma gas processing were experimentally tested: decomposition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and reforming of VOCs (mainly methane) into hydrogen. Results of the laboratory experiments on the plasma processing of several highly-concentrated (up to 100%) VOCs, including freon-type refrigerants, in the waveguide-supplied MPSs showed that the microwave discharge plasma is capable of fully decomposing the VOCs at relatively low energy cost. The use of waveguide-supplied coaxial-line-based and metal-cylinder-based nozzleless MPSs to methane reforming into hydrogen turned out to be energetically efficient. These selected results show MPSs to be an attractive tool for gas processing, including the harmful gas decomposition and production of useful gases.
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