Non-Thermal Plasma-Assisted Combustion Research at Los Alamos.

摘要

The application of electric fields to flames has been reported as early as 1814, was applied to furnaces in the 1920 s and developed into several applications in the last half of the 20th Century. When the electric field strength is sufficient to cause electrical breakdown of a fuel or fuel/air mixture, plasma effects will dominate. Plasma effects can increase electron and ion temperatures and promote combustion through the formation of active species (such as free radicals) or the dissociation of fuel molecules into smaller, easily-combusted fragments. Plasma-assisted combustion (PAC) is now a timely research topic worldwide, pointing to more efficient fossil-fuel usage, conversion of low-grade fuels into higher-grade fuels, and pollution reduction through ultralean burn combustion. Our work focuses on non-thermal (cold) plasmas (NTPs), particularly for enhancing combustion stability, efficiency, and reducing undesirable emissions. This is in contrast to thermal (hot) plasmas.