Propagation of negative electrical discharges through 2-dimensional packed bed reactors

Plasma-based pollutant remediation and value-added gas production have recently gained increased attention as possible alternatives to the currently-deployed chemical reactor systems. Electrical discharges in packed bed reactors (PBRs) are of interest, due to their ability to synergistically combine catalytic and plasma chemical processes. In principle, these systems could be tuned to produce specific products, based on their application by combinations of power formats, materials, geometries and working gases. Negative voltage, atmospheric-pressure plasma discharges sustained in humid air in a PBR-like geometry were experimentally characterized using ICCD imaging and simulated in 2-dimensions (2D) to provide insights into possible routes to this tunability. Surface ionization waves (SIWs) and positive restrikes through the lattice of dielectric rods were shown to be the principal means of producing reactive species. The number and intensity of SIWs and restrikes are sensitive functions of the alignment of the lattice of dielectric beads (or rods in 2D) with respect to the applied electric field. Decreased spacing between the dielectric elements leads to an increased electric field enhancement in the gas, and therefore locally higher plasma densities, but does not necessarily impact the types of discharges that occur through the lattice.