Consequences of unburned hydrocarbons on microstreamer dynamics and chemistry during plasma remediation of NO_<i>x</i>using dielectric barrier discharges

Abstract

Atmospheric pressure plasmas, and dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) in particular, are being investigated for their use in the remediation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from automotive exhausts. In their normal mode of operation, DBDs consist of a large density of short-lived filamentary microdischarges. Localized energy deposition results in spatially nonuniform gas temperatures and species densities which initiate advective and diffusive transport. Diesel exhausts, one of the major sources of NOx, typically contain unburned hydrocarbons (UHCs) which significantly influence the NOx chemistry during plasma remediation. In this paper, we discuss results from a computational investigation of the consequences of UHC chemistry on radial transport dynamics and remediation of NOx. In the presence of UHCs, radicals such as O and OH are dominantly consumed in the microstreamer region and their transport to larger radii is reduced. As a result, the conversion of NO to NO2 is mainly restricted to the core of the microstreamer.