Reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes for gas phase pulsed corona reactors

Journal Article · Sat Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 2000 · IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/28.833767· OSTI ID:20082440

Kirkpatrick, M; Finney, W C; Locke, B R

A new design for gas phase pulsed corona reactors incorporating reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrodes is demonstrated to be effective at the removal of nitrogen oxides from various gas mixtures containing O{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, water vapor, and ethylene. The reactor consists of either a Plexiglass or glass cylindrical tube with macro-porous RVC electrodes placed perpendicularly to the cylinder axis. Streamers propagate between the RVC disks providing a uniform exposure of the flowing gas stream to the electrical discharge. This mode of operation provides for convenient reactor scale-up while maintaining the interelectrode spacing in a moderate range, thus allowing scale-up without the need for higher voltage power supplies. It is further envisioned that the reactor can be operated with multiple sets of electrodes placed in series down the length of the reactor in order to facilitate high efficiency removal of air pollutants. Experiments with nitrogen oxide (NO) in dry air and lower concentration oxygen gas (i.e., 15% O{sub 2}, made from air and N{sub 2}) at room temperature and pressure show that the NO, as expected in an oxidizing environment, is converted to NO{sub 2}. In addition, for these same dry gases (100 ppm) and for these gases with higher inlet NO (180 ppm) upon the addition of water vapor total NO{sub x} is also removed. In dry gas at an energy density of 117 J/l 103 ppm, NO (100%) and 115 ppm NO{sub x} (96%) are removed at a cost of 3.9 g/k Wh [257 eV/NO] (based on NO) and in humid gas at an energy density of 226 J/l 189 ppm NO (100%) and 219 ppm NO{sub x} (97%) are removed at a cost of 3.7 g/k Wh (273 eV/NO) (based on NO). Measurements of water washings of the electrode surface indicate that for both the dry gas and humid gas experiments significant quantities of nitrate are deposited on the surface of the electrodes.

• Research Organization: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical Univ., Tallahassee, FL (US); Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (US)
• OSTI ID: 20082440
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 36; ISSN 0093-9994; ISSN ITIACR
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
CARBON
CHEMICAL REACTORS
CORONA DISCHARGES
ELECTRODES
NITROGEN OXIDES
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
VITRIFICATION