Self-limiting trade-off between CO yield and CO<sub>2</sub> conversion energy efficiency in atmospheric pressure radio-frequency plasmas: picosecond laser spectroscopy

ORAL

Abstract

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas are of interest for producing CO from CO2. We have measured ground-state CO and O densities in rf driven argon and helium plasmas admixed with CO2 using picosecond two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence. CO and O densities in the far-effluent show quantitative agreement with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, enabling the study of CO yield and CO2 conversion energy-efficiency with respect to CO2 admixture and total flow rate. The CO density increases with distance from the outlet, which can be explained in terms of electron power deposition into CO vibrational states and self-limiting trade-off between the yield and energy efficiency in high-conversion regimes.

*We acknowledge support from an Australian Government Endeavour Research Fellowship, Employment of Newly Graduated Doctors of Science for Scientific Excellence Grant (CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0009, co-financed by the European Social Fund and the State Budget of the Czech Republic), University of York and EPSRC (EP/K018388/1, EP/H003797/1).

–

Presenters

  • James Dedrick

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

Authors

  • James Dedrick

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Alex Foote

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Andrew R Gibson

    • Research Group for Biomedical Plasma Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Sciences, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
    • 1) Research Group for Biomedical Plasma Technology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany; 2) Institute for Electrical Engineering and Plasma Technology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germ
    • Research Group for Biomedical Plasma Technology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150 D-44801 Bo­chum, Germany
    • Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
    • Institute of Electrical Engineering and Plasma Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
    • Ruhr University Bochum

  • Kari Niemi

    • York Plasma Institute, University of York, UK
    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Steven Thomas

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Jüri Raud

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Joshua Boothroyd

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Zaenab Abd-Allah

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Jérôme Bredin

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Michael North

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Deborah O'Connell

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

  • Timo Gans

    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
    • School of Physical Sciences & National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology (NCPST), Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
    • Dublin City University