Investigating CO2 Chemistry and Streamer Dynamics in Dielectric Barrier Discharges for Plasma Catalysis

The need for sustainable chemical production has driven advancements in plasma catalysis, particularly through the use of surface and volume dielectric barrier discharges (sDBDs and vDBDs). This study aims to understand the underlying chemical processes and the resulting streamer dynamics to enhance the efficiency of green chemicals and renewable fuels production.

A global chemical model is employed, utilizing an extensive CO2 chemistry set that includes ladder climbing and back reactions to investigate the reaction pathways and conversion rates, providing a thorough understanding of the complex reactions within the plasma

Subsequently, 2D fluid simulations explore the dynamics of streamers under different excitation conditions, such as microsecond and nanosecond voltage pulses. These simulations use a reduced chemistry set, maintaining essential reaction mechanisms while allowing efficient computation. The 2D simulations offer detailed insights into how streamers generate and propagate, highlighting the spatio-temporal aspects of plasma dynamics close to the catalyst surface.