In situ quantification of NO synthesis in a warm air glow discharge by WMS-based Mid-IR QCL absorption spectroscopy

Nitric oxide(NO)is one of the most crucial products in the plasma-based nitrogen fixation process.In this work,in situ measurements were performed for quantifying the NO synthesis spatially in a warm air glow discharge,through the method of Mid-infrared quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy(QCL-AS).Two ro-vibrational transitions at 1900.076 cm^(-1) and 1900.517 cm^(-1) of the ground-state NO(X)were probed sensitively by the help of the wavelength modulation spectroscopy(WMS)approach to increase the signal/noise(S/N)level.The results show a decline trend of NO synthesis rate along the discharge channel from the cathode to the anode.However,from the point of energy efficiency,the cathode region is of significantly low energy efficiency of NO production.Severe disproportionality was found for the high energy consumption but low NO production in the region of cathode area,compared to that in the positive column zone.Further analysis demonstrates the high energy cost of NO production in the cathode region,is ascribed to the extremely high reduced electric field E/N therein not selectively preferable for the processes of vibrational excitation or dissociation of N_(2) and O_(2) molecules.This drags down the overall energy efficiency of NO synthesis by this typical warm air glow discharge,particularly for the ones with short electrode gaps.Limitations of further improving the energy cost of NO synthesis by variations of the discharge operation conditions,such as discharge current or airflow rate,imply other effective manners able to tune the energy delivery selectively to the NO formation process,are sorely needed.

Experimental Study on Branch and Diffuse Type of Streamers in Leader Restrike of Long Air Gap Discharge

One of the main problems in the Ultra High Voltage （UHV） transmission project is to choose the external insulation distance, which requires a deep understanding of the long air gap discharge mechanism. The leader-streamer propagation is one of most important stages in long air gap discharge. In the conductor-tower lattice configuration, we have measured the voltage, the current on the high voltage side and the electric field in the gap. While the streamer in the leader-streamer system presented a conical or hyperboloid diffuse shape, the clear branch structure streamer in front of the leader was firstly observed by a high speed camera in： the experiment. Besides, it is found that the leader velocity, width and injected charge for the branch type streamer are greater than those of a diffuse type. We propose that the phenomenon results from the high humidity, which was 15.5-16.5 g/m3 in our experiment.

Space Charge Transient Kinetic Characteristics in DC Air Corona Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Investigating the corona mechanism plays a key role in enhancing the performance of electrical insulation systems. Numerical simulation offers a better understanding of the physical characteristics of air corona discharges. Using a two-dimensional axisymmetrical kinetics model, into which the photoionization effect is incorporated, the DC air corona discharge at atmosphere pressure is studied. The plasma model is based on a self-consistent, multi-component, and con- tinuum description of the air discharge, which is comprised of 12 species and 22 reactions. The discharge voltage-current characteristic predicted by the model is found to be in quite good agree- ment with experimental measurements. The behavior of the electronic avalanche progress is Mso described. 0＋ and N＋ are the dominant positive ions, and the values of 0- and 02 densities are much smaller than that of the electron. The electron and positive ion have a low-density thin layer near the anode, which is a result of the surface reaction and absorption effect of the electrode. As time progresses, the electric field increases and extends along the cathode surface, whereas the cathode fall shrinks after the corona discharge hits the cathode; thus, in the cathode sheath, the electron temperature increases and the position of its peak approaches to the cathode. The present computational model contributes to the understanding of this physical mechanism, and suggests ways to improve the electrical insulation system.

Improved Ethanol Production from Xylose by Candida shehatae Induced by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Air Plasma

Xylose fermentation is essential for ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Exposure of the xylose-fermenting yeast Candida shehatae （C. shehatae） CICC1766 to atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） air plasma yields a clone （designated as C81015） with stability, which exhibits a higher ethanol fermentation rate from xylose, giving a maximal enhancement in ethanol production of 36.2% compared to the control （untreated）. However, the biomass production of C81015 is lower than that of the control. Analysis of the NADH （nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide）- and NADPH （nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate）- linked xylose reductases and NAD＋-linked xylitol dehydrogenase indicates that their activities are enhanced by 34.1%, 61.5% and 66.3%, respectively, suggesting that the activities of these three enzymes are responsible for improving ethanol fermentation in C81015 with xylose as a substrate. The results of this study show that DBD air plasma could serve as a novel and effective means of generating microbial strains that can better use xylose for ethanol fermentation.

On the Formation of a Bead Structure of Spark Channels during a Discharge in Air at Atmospheric Pressure

The conditions for the formation of spark channels with a bead structure in an inhomogeneous electric field at different polarities of voltage pulses are studied.Voltage pulses with an amplitude of up to 150 kV and a rise time of≈1.5μs were applied across a 45-mm point-to-plane gap.Under these conditions,spark channels consisting of bright and dim regions(bead structure)were observed.It is shown that when current is limited,an increase in the rise time and the gap length does not affect the formation of the bead structure.It was found that an increase in the amplitude of voltage pulses leads to an increase in the length of beads.The appearance of the bead structure is more likely at negative polarity of the pointed electrode.The formation of spark channels was studied with a four-channel ICCD camera.

A Method of Using a Carbon Fiber Spiral-Contact Electrode to Achieve Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Air

During discharge, appropriately changing the development paths of electron avalanches and increasing the number of initial electrons can effectively inhibit the formation of filamentary discharge. Based on the aforementioned phenomenon, we propose a method of using microdischarge electrodes to produce a macroscopic discharge phenomenon. In the form of an asymmetric structure composed of a carbon fiber electrode, an electrode structure of carbon fiber spiral-contact type is designed to achieve an atmospheric pressure glow discharge in air, which is characterized by low discharge voltage, low energy consumption, good diffusion and less ozone generation.

Surface Modification of Polyethylene (PE) Films Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

Modification of the surface properties of polyethylene （PE） films is studied using air dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure. The treated samples are examined by Water contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy （FTIR-ATR）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. With the increase in treating time, the water contact angle changes from 93.2° before treatment to a minimum of 53.3° after a treatment for 50 s. Both ATR and XPS results show some oxidized species are introduced into the sample surface by the plasma treatment and the tendency of the water contact angle with the treating time is the same as that of oxygen concentration on the treated sample surface. SEM result shows the surface roughness of PE samples increases with the treatment time increasing.

Prediction of Equivalent Electrical Parameters of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Load Using a Neural Network

A reliable, efficient and economical power supply for dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） is essential for its industrial applications. However, the equivalent load parameters complicare the design of power supply as they are variable and varied nonlinearly in response to varied voltage and power. In this paper the equivalent electrical parameters of DBD are predicted using a neural network, which is beneficial for the design of power supply and helps to investigate how the electrical parameters influence the equivalent load parameters. The electrical parameters includ- ing voltage and power are determined to be the inputs of the neural network model, as these two parameters greatly influence the discharge type and the equivalent DBD load parameters which are the outputs of the model. The voltage and power are decoupled with pulse density modula- tion （PDM） and hence the impact of the two electrical parameters is discussed individually. The neural network model is trained with the back-propagation （BP） algorithm. The obtained neural network model is evaluated by the relative error, and the prediction has a good agreement with the practical values obtained in experiments.

A novel approach to regulate cell membrane permeability for ATP and NADH formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae induced by air cold plasma

Air cold plasma has been used as a novel method for enhancing microbial fermentation. The aim of this work was to explore the effect of plasma on membrane permeability and the formation of ATP and NADH in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, so as to provide valuable information for largescale application of plasma in the fermentation industry. Suspensions of S. cerevisiae cells were exposed to air cold plasma for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min, and then subjected to various analyses prior to fermentation （Oh） and at the 9 and 21 h stages of fermentation. Compared with nonexposed cells, cells exposed to plasma for 1 min exhibited a marked increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2＋ concentration as a result of the significant increase in membrane potential prior to fermentation. At the same time, the ATP level in the cell suspension decreased by about 40%, resulting in a reduction of about 60% in NADH prior to culturing. However, the levels of ATP and NADH in the culture at the 9 and 21 h fermentation stages were different from the level at 0 h. Taken together, the results indicated that exposure of S. cerevisiae to air cold plasma could increase its cytoplasmic free Ca2＋ concentration by improving the cell membrane potential, consequently leading to changes in ATP and NADH levels.

Experimental and simulated investigation of microdischarge characteristics in a pin-to-pin dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)reactor

Both experimental and simulated studies of microdischarge(MD)are carried out in a dielectric barrier discharge with a pin-to-pin gap of 3.5 mm,ignited by a sinusoidal voltage with a peak voltage of 10 kV and a driving frequency of 5 kHz.Statistical results have shown that the probability of the single current pulse in the positive half-period(HP)reaches 73.6%under these conditions.Experimental results show that great luminous intensity is concentrated on the dielectric surface and the tip of the metal electrode.A 1D plasma fluid model is implemented by coupling the species continuity equations,electron energy density equations,Poisson equation,and Helmholtz equations to analyze the MD dynamics on the microscale.The simulated results are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental results.The simulated results show that the MD dynamics can be divided into three phases:the Townsend phase,the streamer propagation phase,and the discharge decay phase.During the streamer propagation phase,the electric field and electron density increase with the streamer propagation from the anode to the cathode,and their maximal values reach 625.48 Td and 2.31×10^(19)m^(-3),as well as 790.13 Td and 3.58×10^(19)m^(-3)in the positive and negative HP,respectively.Furthermore,a transient glow-like discharge is detected around the anode during the same period of streamer propagation.The formation of transient glow-like discharge is attributed to electrons drifting back to the anode,which is driven by the residual voltage in the air gap.

Characteristics of Long Air Gap Discharge Current Subjected to Switching Impulse

Measuring the pre-breakdown current of long sparks in air is important for investigating the discharge mechanism.Since the breakdown of long air gaps is conducted by a series of streamer-leader processes,the corresponding current signals cover a bandwidth of 0 to more than 20 MHz.Measurement accuracy of the current from the high voltage side is affected by the displacement current and impulse electromagnetic interference.In this paper,a coaxial current sensor with a DC bandwidth of 74.45 MHz is developed.A displacement current-restrained electrode structure is proposed to reduce the equivalent capacitance between the current sensor and the ground over 30 times.Combined with the digital optical fiber synchronous acquisition unit,a current measurement system for long air gap discharge is established.For the purpose of the UHV system’s external insulation optimization design,the discharge current waveform of a 6 m rod-plane air gap under positive switching impulse voltage with 250µs and 1000µs time to crest is obtained.Discharge images and stressed voltage are combined to analyze the continuous feature of a current waveform under critical time to crest impulse and discontinuous feature under long front duration impulse.For the purposes of a lightning protection study,the current waveform of a 10 m rod-plane air gap is subjected to negative switching impulse.Finally,the pulse characteristics of the current corresponding to the single channel and branching stepped negative leader are discussed.

Experimental Simulation of Red Sprites in a Laboratory

Over the past three decades,research of high-altitude atmospheric discharges has received a lot of attention.This paper presents the results of experimental modeling of red sprites during a discharge in low-pressure air.To initiate ionization waves in a quartz tube,an electrodeless pulse-periodic discharge fed by microsecond voltage pulses with an amplitude of a few kilovolts and a repetition rate of tens of kHz were formed.In this case ionization waves(streamers)have a length of tens of centimeters.The main plasma parameters were measured at various distances along the tube.The measurements confirm the fact that ionization waves propagate in opposite directions from the zone of the main electrodeless discharge,just as it happens during the formation of red sprites.

Experiment on Leader Propagation Characteristics of Air Gaps in UHVDC Transmission Towers Under Positive Switching Impulse Voltages

Rapid developments in EHV/UHV transmission systems require a deeper understanding of the mechanism of long air gap discharge.Leader propagation is one of the main processes in long gap breakdown.In this paper,the leader propagation characteristics of real size±800 kV UHVDC transmission tower gaps under positive switching impulse voltages(185/2290μs)are investigated.An integrated observation platform consisting of an impulse voltage divider,a coaxial shunt,a high-speed video camera,and a set of integrated optical electric field sensors(IOES),is established.The waveforms of impulse voltage,discharge current,electric field variation at specific positions,and time-resolved photographs of discharge morphology are recorded.Axial leader velocity and the relationship between leader advancements and injected charge are obtained.The typical value of leader stable propagation velocity is 1.7–2.2 cm/μs,which varies slightly with the gap length and applied voltage amplitude.The leader velocity in the re-illumination process is much higher,and is seen as varying from 5 cm/μs to 30 cm/μs,with an average value around 10 cm/μs.The charge in leader channel per unit length is 20–40μC/m,which illustrates a near-direct proportion relationship between discharge current and leader velocity.The observed parameters are important for further simulation of the tower gap breakdown processes.

A Study of Chinese Government’s Policies in Industrial Pollution Mitigation

China＇s rapid economic growth poses serious concerns over environmental degradation, especially in the context of higher pollution levels resulting from unprecedented industrial activity. It is commonly held that government policies are effective in the form of investment in pollution control and the imposition of a discharge fee on industrial units for the purpose of safety of environmental quality. In this study, we find that government policies do not prove to be successful in controlling air pollution in comparison to water pollution. Furthermore, air pollution is increasing, while water pollution is following a stable, decreasing curve. Hence, some reforms need to be implemented in government policies, particularly those concerning the effectiveness of investment in environmental protection and improving managerial skills in industry.