CBE Research Report Spring 2016 | Page 31

Poster Presentation 20 Study of the Nanosecond Pulsed Plasma Discharge Using Computer Simulation Huihui Wang, Robert J. Wandell, Patrick Breslend, Kosuke Tachibana and Bruce R. Locke Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Florida State University, 2525 Pottsdamer Street Tallahassee, FL 32310 USA Abstract The plasma technology is a promising technology that can be used for water treatment [1]. This technology is much faster and more compact than the traditional bio-degradation method for water treatment. However, the energy efficiency of this technology is very low, which impedes its industrial application. Therefore, several studies have been conducted to study the mechanism of plasma discharge and to improve the energy efficiency of plasma technology. The basic principle of using plasma technology to treat polluted water is degrading the organic pollutant by using the oxidative radicals generated in the plasma. Basically, a plasma discharge is initiated in the plasma reactor when the wasted water flows through the plasma reactor, and the chemical reactions happen when the species formed during the plasma discharge, such as hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide, contact with the water. Studying the mechanism of plasma discharge in the plasma reactor is helpful for improving the energy efficiency of plasma technology, and several studies have been successfully conducted to study the mechanism of plasma discharge of their experiment set-up by using computer simulation [2][3]. Thus, in this study, computer modeling was used to study the chemical reactions, energy transfer, and mass transfer inside the plasma reactor. A one-dimensional computer model that only considers the concentration and temperature gradient along the xaxis of the plasma channel was built based on the parameters measured from the experiment. The concentration and temperature variation with time and position were obtained through the model. According to the modeling results, the simulated temperature coincides well with the temperature measured in experiment. However, further modification is still needed to improve the accuracy of the computer model. References 1. 2. 3. Locke, B. R., et al. "Electrohydraulic discharge and non-thermal plasma for water treatment." Industrial & engineering chemistry research 45.3 (2006): 882-905. Liu, Ding-Xin, et al. "Global model of low-temperature atmospheric-pressure He+ H2O plasmas." Plasma Sources Science and Technology 19.2 (2010): 025018. TAKEUCHI, NOZOMI. "Comparison of One‐and Zero‐Dimensional Reaction Models of Liquid‐Phase Radicals for Plasma Generated on Gas–Liquid Interface." Electronics and Communications in Japan 98.12 (2015): 55-62. 30 | P a g e