Kinetic development of low-temperature propane oxidation in a repetitively-pulsed nanosecond discharge

TL;DR

This study investigates plasma-assisted low-temperature propane oxidation using nanosecond pulsed discharges, updating reaction models and comparing discharge types to understand their effects on oxidation efficiency and species formation.

Contribution

The paper introduces an improved kinetic model for propane oxidation under plasma conditions and compares the effects of two pulsed plasma sources, nCD and DBD, on oxidation processes.

Findings

Updated reaction rate constants improve model accuracy for key species.

Total deposition energy primarily controls oxidation, not discharge type.

Propane oxidation efficiency is minimally affected by SPDE variations.

Abstract

The kinetics of plasma assisted low temperature oxidation of C3H8O2Ar mixtures have been studied in a wide specific deposition energy with the help of nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharge. Two types of nanosecond pulsed plasma sources, the nanosecond capillary discharge (nCD) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) combined with the synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry are investigated. The electron impact reaction rate of propane dissociation and some combustion chemical reactions rate constants are updated according to the nCD and DBD experiment results,and uncertainty of the reactions are analyzed in detail. Compared to the existing model, the updated model's prediction accuracy has great improvement in species H2O, CO, CO2, CH4, CH2O, CH3OH, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, C2H5OH, C2H5OOH, C3H4-A, C3H4-P, C2H5CHO, i-C3H7OH and C3H7OOH. The propane oxidation processes assisted by DBD and nCD were compared under different single pulse deposition energy (SPDE) conditions while maintaining the same total deposition energy. The reduced electric field in nCD is concentrated at 150-200 Td and 450-500 Td, whereas in DBD it ranges from 0-25 Td and 50-250 Td. Notably, SPDE shows minimal influence on the propane oxidation process, which is primarily controlled by total deposition energy and demonstrates little dependence on the discharge type (DBD or nCD).