An industrial streamer corona plasma system for gas cleaning

For pulsed corona plasma applications, it becomes important to develop pilot systems with large average power and high-energy conversion efficiency. Since the beginning of 2000, we have been working on an industrial corona plasma system with tasks of 10-30 kW in average power and higher than 90% of total energy conversion efficiency. The pulsed-power source should have the following specifications: rise time of 10-25 ns, pulsewidth of 50-150 ns, pulse repetition rate of up to 1000 pulses per second, peak voltage pulse of 70 kV, peak current of 3.5 kA, dc bias voltage of 10-35 kV, and energy per pulse of up to 30 J. Sixteen parallel wire cylinder reactors are used to match the source. Gas and reactor temperatures can be controlled individually with water flow around the outside of those cylinders. The system is designed for gaseous oxidation and electrostatic dust precipitation. The system has been used for up to 17 kW in average power. This paper reports the system in detail, discusses issues related to the matching between the source and the reactor, and presents an example of industrial demonstrations on odor abatement at 1000 m3/h. Finally, this paper also gives a general guideline for design of corona plasma systems