Investigation of CO₂ Conversion in a High-Power Inductively Coupled Plasma Source by Global Modeling

Identifying and understanding the main pathways of carbon dioxide dissociation is an important step towards efficient plasma-based CO₂ conversion. Here, the step-wise vibrational excitation by electron impact, found in non-equilibrium plasmas, has shown great potential. At the Institute of Space Systems (IRS), the capability of the inductively coupled plasma source IPG4 (Inductive Plasma Generator 4) for effective carbon dioxide dissociation is under investigation. IPG4 is a high-power (160kW) plasma source operating at reduced pressure (2600Pa). In this work, the kinetic model globalKin is used to analyze the CO₂ conversion efficiency of the plasma source IPG4. The simulation code is developed by Prof. Mark Kushner from the University of Michigan. The built-in plug-flow model of globalKin allows for a one-dimensional analysis of the reaction kinetics in the CO₂ plasma. The role of vibrational excitation in carbon dioxide dissociation is studied. Moreover, the effect of dilution with argon and nitrogen on the reaction kinetics is examined.