Dielectric barrier discharge plasma-assisted catalytic ammonia synthesis:synergistic effect of Ni-MOF-74 catalyst and nanosecond pulsed plasma

Ammonia is one of the most important chemical raw materials in both manufacture and life of human.Traditionally Haber-Bosch method for ammonia synthesis involves high temperature and high pressure conditions,leading to significant energy consumption and environmental pollution.Non-thermal plasma(NTP) is a promising alternative approach to ammonia synthesis at low temperature and atmospheric pressure.In this study,the synergistic effect of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge(np-DBD) and Ni-MOF-74 catalyst was investigated in ammonia synthesis by utilizing nitrogen and hydrogen as feedstock.The results demonstrated that the plasma catalytic-synthesis process parameters play a crucial role in the synthesis process of ammonia.The highest ammonia synthesis rate of 5145.16 μmol·g^(-1)·h^(-1)with an energy efficiency of 1.27 g·kWh^(-1)was observed in the presence of the Ni-MOF-74 catalyst,which was3.7 times higher than that without Ni-MOF-74 catalyst.The synergistic effect of Ni-MOF-74catalyst and nanosecond pulsed plasma was explored by in-situ plasma discharge diagnostics.

The Power Supply System for HL-2A Tokamak's Magnetic Field

The highpower pulsed power supply system for the magnetic field of the HL-2A Tokamak is described in this paper. The total output power of its eight magnetic field power supply units of nearly 250 MW. Their highest DC output voltage and current are 3510 V and 45 kA, respectively. All the units are operated in a pulsed mode. The pulse duration is 5 s, and the cyclic period is 15 min. The power supply system consists mainly of pulsed flywheel motor generators, rectifying transformers, thyristor converters, diode rectifiers and switches. The system incorporates many key technologies-supply equalization with two generators and four diode bridges, constant-angle phase triggers with a wide frequency range, current equalization, a status detector for the high current 6-phase converter, and advanced monitoring based on a programmable logic computer and engineering parameter measurement. The experimental results show that the performance of the power supply system satisfies the requirements of HL-2A experiments very well.

Conceptual design of a 15-TW pulsed-power accelerator for high-energy-densityephysics experiments

We have developed a conceptual design of a 15-TW pulsed-power accelerator based on the linear-transformer-driver(LTD)architecture described by Stygar[W.A.Stygar et al.,Phys.Rev.ST Accel.Beams 18,110401(2015)].The driver will allow multiple,high-energy-density experiments per day in a university environment and,at the same time,will enable both fundamental and integrated experiments that are scalable to larger facilities.In this design,many individual energy storage units(bricks),each composed of two capacitors and one switch,directly drive the target load without additional pulse compression.Ten LTD modules in parallel drive the load.Each module consists of 16 LTD cavities connected in series,where each cavity is powered by 22 bricks connected in parallel.This design stores up to 2.75 MJ and delivers up to 15 TW in 100 ns to the constant-impedance,water-insulated radial transmission lines.The transmission lines in turn deliver a peak current as high as 12.5 MA to the physics load.To maximize its experimental value and flexibility,the accelerator is coupled to a modern,multibeam laser facility(four beams with up to 5 kJ in 10 ns and one beam with up to 2.6 kJ in 100 ps or less)that can provide auxiliary heating of the physics load.The lasers also enable advanced diagnostic techniques such as X-ray Thomson scattering and multiframe and three-dimensional radiography.The coupled accelerator-laser facility will be the first of its kind and be capable of conducting unprecedented high-energy-densityephysics experiments.

A reusable planar triggered spark-gap switch batched-fabricated with PCB technology for medium- and low-voltage pulse power systems

Triggered spark-gap switch is a popular discharge switch for pulse power systems.Previous studies have focused on planarizing this switch using thin film techniques in order to meet the requirements of compact size in the systems.Such switches are one-shot due to electrodes being too thin to sufficiently resist spark-erosion.Additionally,these switches did not employ any structures in securing internal gas composition,resulting in inconsistent performance under harsh atmospheres.In this work,a novel planar triggered spark-gap switch(PTS)with a hermetically sealed cavity was batched-prepared with printed circuit board(PCB)technology,to achieve reusability with low cost.The proposed PTS was inspected by micro-computed tomography to ensure PCB techniques meet the requirements of machining precision.The results from electrical experiments demonstrated that PCB PTS were consistent and reusable with lifespan over 20 times.The calculated switch voltage and circuit current were consistent with those derived from real-world measurements.Finally,PCB PTS was used to introduce hexanitrostilbene(HNS)pellets in a pulse power system to verify its performance.

A Novel Nanosecond Pulsed Power Unit for the Formation of ·OH in Water

A novel nanosecond pulsed power unit was developed for plasma treatment of wastewater, based on the theory of magnetic pulse compression and semiconductor opening switch （SOS）. The peak value, rise time and pulse duration of the output voltage were observed to be -51 kV, 60 ns and 120 ns, respectively. The concentrations of .OH generated by the novel nanosecond pulsed plasma power were determined using the method of high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. The results showed that the concentrations of .OH increased with the increase in peak voltage, and the generation rates of .OH were 4.1 ×10^-10 mol/s, 5.7× 10^-10 mol/s, and 7.7× 10^-10 mol/s at 30 kV, 35 kV, and 40 kV, respectively. The efficiency of OH generation was found to be independent of the input parameters for applied power, with an average value of 3.23×10^-12 mol/J obtained.

Effects of O_(2) addition on the plasma uniformity and reactivity of Ar DBD excited by ns pulsed and AC power supplies

Dielectric barrier discharges(DBDs)have been widely used in ozone synthesis,materials surface treatment,and plasma medicine for their advantages of uniform discharge and high plasmachemical reactivity.To improve the reactivity of DBDs,in this work,the O_(2) is added into Ar nanosecond(ns)pulsed and AC DBDs.The uniformity and discharge characteristics of Ar ns pulsed and AC DBDs with different O_(2) contents are investigated with optical and electrical diagnosis methods.The DBD uniformity is quantitatively analyzed by gray value standard deviation method.The electrical parameters are extracted from voltage and current waveforms separation to characterize the discharge processes and calculate electron density n_(e).The optical emission spectroscopy is measured to show the plasma reactivity and calculate the trend of electron temperature T_(e) with the ratio of two emission lines.It is found that the ns pulsed DBD has a much better uniformity than AC DBD for the fast rising and falling time.With the addition of O_(2),the uniformity of ns pulsed DBD gets worse for the space electric field distortion by O_(2)^(-),which promotes the filamentary formation.While,in AC DBD,the added O_(2) can reduce the intensity of filaments,which enhances the discharge uniformity.The ns pulsed DBD has a much higher instantaneous power and energy efficiency than AC DBD.The ratio of Ar emission intensities indicates that the T_(e) drops quickly with the addition of O_(2) both ns pulsed and AC DBDs and the ns pulsed DBD has an obvious higher T_(e) and n_(e) than AC DBD.The results are helpful for the realization of the reactive and uniform low temperature plasma sources.

Design and Simulation for the Pulse High-Voltage DC Power Supply (HVPS) of 1.2 MW/2.45 GHz HT-7U Lower Hybrid Current Drive System

The superconducting tokamak HT-7U [1] has been designed by the Institute of Plasma Physics since 1998 and will be set up before 2003. The 1.2 MW /2.45 GHz HT-7U LHCD (Lower hybrid current drive) system which being the most efficient non-induction device can heat the plasma and drive the plasma current has been efficiently in operation 'owl and a particular design of the 2.8 MW/-35 kV high-voltage DC power supply has been already completed and will apply to the klystron of LHCD on HT-7 and the future HT-7U, and the project of the power supply has been examined and approved professionally by an authorized group of high-level specialist in the institute of Plasma Physics. The detailed design of the power supply and the simulation results are referred in the paper.

Systematic evaluation of a holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser lithotripsy device with variable pulse peak power and pulse duration

Objective:The Holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet(Ho:YAG)laser is the standard lithotrite for ureteroscopy.This paper is to evaluate a Ho:YAG laser with a novel effect function in vitro,which allows a real-time variation of pulse duration and pulse peak power.Methods:Two types of phantom calculi with four degrees of hardness were made for fragmentation and retropulsion experiments.Fragmentation was analysed at 5(0.5 J/10 Hz),10(1 J/10 Hz),and 20(2 J/10 Hz)W in non-floating phantom calculi,retropulsion in an ureteral model at 10(1 J/10 Hz)and 20(2 J/10 Hz)W using floating phantom calculi.The effect function was set to 25%,50%,75%,and 100%of the maximum possible effect function at each power setting.Primary outcomes:fragmentation(mm^3),the distance of retropulsion(cm);
5 measurements for each trial.Results:An increase of the effect feature(25%vs.100%),i.e.,an increase of pulse peak power and decrease of pulse duration,improved Ho:YAG laser fragmentation.This effect was remarkable in soft stone composition,while there was a trend for improved fragmentation with an increase of the effect feature in hard stone composition.Retropulsion increased with increasing effect function,independently of stone composition.The major limitations of the study are the use of artificial stones and the in vitro setup.Conclusion:Changes in pulse duration and pulse peak power may lead to improved stone fragmentation,most prominently in soft stones,but also lead to increased retropulsion.This new effect function may enhance Ho:YAG laser fragmentation when maximum power output is limited or retropulsion is excluded.

Overview of Circuit Topologies for Inductive Pulsed Power Supplies

The pulsed power supply(PPS)is one important component in the electromagnetic launch system.The inductive PPSs have attracted researchers’attentions with the major advantages of high energy storage density(over the capacitive PPSs)as well as simple structure and easy control(over the rotating mechanical PPSs).As for the inductive PPSs,the circuit topology of the basic module will directly determine the comprehensive performance of the whole system.From the perspectives of working principles,strengths,weaknesses,and comprehensive performance,this paper presents a historical and technical review of the major circuit topologies for the inductive PPSs.

High Voltage High Frequency Power Transformer for Pulsed Power Applications

This paper presents a new topology for a High Voltage （HV） 50 kV, High Frequency （HF） 20 kHz, multi-cored transformer suitable for use in pulsed power application systems. The main requirements are： high voltage capability, small size and weight. The HV, HF transformer is the main critical block of a high frequency power converter system. The transformer must have high electrical efficiency and in the proposed approach has to be optimized by the number of the cores. The transformer concept has been investigated analytically and through software simulations and experiments. This paper introduces the transformer topology and discusses the design procedure. Experimental measurements to predict core losses are also presented. The losses of epoxy coated nanocrystalline are compared to the losses in a new uncoated core.

100 kA/10kV thyristor stack design for the quench protection system in CRAFT

Thyristors have longer lifetimes,higher reliability,and very high voltage and current ratings and they require less maintenance than other high-power semiconductor devices.As a result,they are particularly suitable for quench protection systems(QPSs),which protect the superconducting magnets in large fusion devices from damage.In this paper,we propose a design for a 100 k A/10 k V thyristor stack supported by both theoretical and simulation-based analyses as well as experimental verification.Due to the ultrahigh electrical performance requirements imposed on the QPS by the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology(CRAFT),three main issues must be considered:the voltage-balancing problem caused by multiple thyristors in a series structure,the increased junction temperature problem caused by extremely high currents,and the reverse recovery phenomenon that arises from the thyristor’s physical structure.Hence,a series of detailed theoretical analyses,simulations,and experiments,including a thyristor junction temperature prediction method and reverse recovery process modeling,were carried out to optimize the design.Finally,the reliability and stability of the thyristor stack were verified by a series of prototype experiments.The results confirmed the correctness and accuracy of the proposed thyristor stack design method and also indicated that the proposed thyristor stack can meet the application conditions of a 100 k A QPS in the CRAFT project.

A High Power Semiconductor Switch RSD for Pulsed Power Applications

High power switch is one of the most important components in pulsed power technology. The RSD （Reversely Switched Dynistor）, turned on by a thin layer of an electron-hole plasma, is a high power semiconductor switch. In this study, the RSD turn-on conditions were investigated by numerical analysis and device simulation as well as the experiments conducted to validate the turn-on conditions. A design of a triggering high-voltage RSD is presented based on a saturable transformer.

An All Solid-State Pulsed Power Generator for Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PⅢ)

An all solid-state pulsed power generator for plasma immersion ion implantation （PIII） is described. The pulsed power system is based on a Marx circuit configuration and semi- conductor switches, which have many advantages in adjustable repetition frequency, pulse width modulation and long serving life compared with the conventional circuit category, tube-based technologies such as gridded vacuum tubes, thyratrons, pulse forming networks and transformers. The operation of PIII with pulse repetition frequencies up to 500 Hz has been achieved at a pulse voltage amplitude from 2 kV to 60 kV, with an adjustable pulse duration from 1 μs to 100 μs. The proposed system and its performance, as used to drive a plasma ion implantation chamber, are described in detail on the basis of the experimental results.

Discharge Characteristics of Series Surface/Packed-Bed Discharge Reactor Diven by Bipolar Pulsed Power

The discharge characteristics of the series surface/packed-bed discharge （SSPBD） reactor driven by bipolar pulse power were systemically investigated in this study. In order to evaluate the advantages of the SSPBD reactor, it was compared with traditional surface discharge （SD） reactor and packed-bed discharge （PBD） reactor in terms of the discharge voltage, discharge current, and ozone formation. The SSPBD reactor exhibited a faster rising time and lower tail voltage than the SD and PBD reactors. The distribution of the active species generated in differ- ent discharge regions of the SSPBD reactor was analyzed by optical emission spectra and ozone analysis. It was found that the packed-bed discharge region （3.5 mg/L）, rather than the surface discharge region （1.3 mg/L） in the SSPBD reactor played a more important role in ozone gener- ation. The optical emission spectroscopy analysis indicated that more intense peaks of the active species （e.g. N2 and OI） in the optical emission spectra were observed in the packed-bed region.

Flexible Control of Pulsed Power for Biomedical Applications Using PC

This work aims to control pulsed power for biomedical fields, which demands sensitive parameters. The pulsed power consists of a voltage rise time of less than 50 ns and charging energy to 1.0 J/pulse; also, the pulse control area includes pulse interval pulse shot number, output voltage. To achieve this system, a pulsed power system exists including software running on PC, universal serial bus （UgB~ for connection, and FPGA controller. Using the software for complex control of pulsed power will enable expansion into various fields with easy operation.

Long-pulse power-supply system for EAST neutral-beam injectors

The long-pulse power-supply system equipped for the 4 MW beam-power ion source is comprised of three units at ASIPP（Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences）： one for the neutralbeam test stand and two for the EAST neutral-beam injectors（NBI-1 and NBI-2, respectively）. Each power supply system consists of two low voltage and high current DC power supplies for plasma generation of the ion source, and two high voltage and high current DC power supplies for the accelerator grid system. The operation range of the NB power supply is about 80 percent of the design value, which is the safe and stable operation range. At the neutral-beam test stand, a hydrogen ion beam with a beam pulse of 150 s, beam power of 1.5 MW and beam energy of 50 ke V was achieved during the long-pulse testing experiments. The result shows that the power-supply system meets the requirements of the EAST-NBIs fully and lays a basis for achieving plasma heating.

Investigation of nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge actuators with powered electrodes of different exposures

Nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge actuators with powered electrodes of different exposures were investigated numerically by using a newly proposed plasma kinetic model. The governing equations include the coupled continuity plasma discharge equation, drift-diffusion equation, electron energy equation, Poisson＇s equation, and the Navier–Stokes equations.Powered electrodes of three different exposures were simulated to understand the effect of surface exposure on plasma discharge and surrounding flow field. Our study showed that the fully exposed powered electrode resulted in earlier reduced electric field breakdown and more intensive discharge characteristics than partially exposed and rounded-exposed ones. Our study also showed that the reduced electric field and heat release concentrated near the right upper tip of the powered electrode. The fully exposed electrode also led to stronger shock wave, higher heating temperature, and larger heated area.

Improvement of circuit oscillation generated by underwater high voltage pulse discharges based on pulse power thyristor

High voltage fracturing technology was widely used in the field of reservoir reconstruction due to its advantages of being clean, pollution-free, and high-efficiency. However, high-frequency circuit oscillation occurs during the underwater high voltage pulse discharge process, which brings security risks to the stability of the pulse fracturing system. In order to solve this problem, an underwater pulse power discharge system was established, the circuit oscillation generation conditions were analyzed and the circuit oscillation suppression method was proposed. Firstly, the system structure was introduced and the charging model of the energy storage capacitor was established by the state space average method. Next, the electrode high-voltage breakdown model was established through COMSOL software, the electrode breakdown process was analyzed according to the electron density distribution image, and the plasma channel impedance was estimated based on the conductivity simulation results. Then the underwater pulse power discharge process and the circuit oscillation generation condition were analyzed, and the circuit oscillation suppression strategy of using the thyristor to replace the gas spark switch was proposed. Finally, laboratory experiments were carried out to verify the precision of the theoretical model and the suppression effect of circuit oscillation. The experimental results show that the voltage variation of the energy storage capacitor, the impedance change of the pulse power discharge process, and the equivalent circuit in each discharge stage were consistent with the theoretical model. The proposed oscillation suppression strategy cannot only prevent the damage caused by circuit oscillation but also reduce the damping oscillation time by77.1%, which can greatly improve the stability of the system. This research has potential application value in the field of underwater pulse power discharge for reservoir reconstruction.

Design and Performances of High-Current Modular Pulsed Power

A design of the high-current modular pulsed power generator and results of the test of this generator are presented. The generator is based on two capacitors each of 2.5μF and 50 kV maximum charging voltage. Two multi-gaps gas spark switches with capacitive coupled triggering are used to discharge stored energy into the load. The triggering pulse with amplitude up to 70 kV and rise time of-50 ns is supplied by three-stage Marx-generator. The output of each capacitor with multi-gaps spark switch is connected to the load by eight coaxial cables -1 m in length. The total inductance of the generator does not exceed 200 nil. At 40 kV charging voltage this generator produces 180 kA with a quarter of period of 1.6 μs at short circuit load of-15 nil. The generator has been used in the research of underwater electrical wire explosion. The space separation of the load and modules of generator allows one to avoid possible damages of the generator by shock waves produced during the wire explosion. In addition, this modular generator design allows to increase easily the number of modules and to reach several hundreds of kiloamperes in the load.

CLOSE-LOOP DESIGN OF PULSE POWER SUPPLY FOR ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING

The dynamic performance and the stability are essential for a system. A new circuit topology used for electrical discharge machining (EDM) power and made up of complex-pulse (voltage-pulse and current-pulse) is presented. The large-signal model of it is also derived. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the system model, the compensator is designed to make the system match better and to improve its dynamic performance and the stability under perturbations. Finally, the design methods and the analysis are verified by simulation and experimental results.