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Streamer-Based Discharge on Water–Air Interface as a Source of Plasma-Activated Water: Conceptual Design and Basic Performance

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Abstract

Here we propose a geometrical analogue of a surface coplanar DBD electrode system allowing the generation of multiple filamentary discharges expanding along the surface of a thin water layer in a flow-through type reactor. A stable layer of deionized/tap water is maintained by a constant flow and separates active discharge filaments from the submerged metal electrodes. Discharges are produced by the application of periodic bipolar high-voltage pulses with a repetition frequency of tens of hertz and lasting a few microseconds. The duration of the high-voltage pulses combined with the non-zero water conductivity allows a partial transition of the initial cold streamer phase to the hot spark phase. Plasma-induced optical emission analysis showed significant heating of the developed filaments (850 K) and increased electron number density (4·1017 cm−3), proving the streamer to spark transition. The analysis of the dissolved products of the discharges showed the maximum NO2− and H2O2 production yields of 35 and 30 mmol·kWh−1, respectively. The current conceptual design is easily scalable by adding pairs of high voltage and grounded compartments with additional water inlets/outlets or by extending the length of the blade separating two adjacent compartments.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic under the project No. *GA18-12386S.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pulse Plasma Systems, Institute of Plasma Physics of the CAS, Libeň, Czech Republic

    Petr Hoffer, Krzysztof Niedoba, Vít Jirásek, Václav Prukner & Milan Šimek

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  1. Petr Hoffer
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Hoffer, P., Niedoba, K., Jirásek, V. et al. Streamer-Based Discharge on Water–Air Interface as a Source of Plasma-Activated Water: Conceptual Design and Basic Performance. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 43, 1531–1547 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-023-10325-y

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