A METHOD AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING LOW-TEMPERATURE ELECTRICAL WATER-BASED PLASMA AT NEAR-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES AND ITS USE

摘要

A method and device for generating low-temperature electrical plasma stream at near-atmospheric pressures in the working gas containing more that 50 % of water vapour molecules and less that 5% of inert gas molecules, wherein the flowing working gas (1) with the temperature higher than 90 °C is fed to the discharge chamber (2), where it is ionized by the effect of a dielectric barrier discharge generating electrical plasma stream (3) with the temperature less than 500 °C using an electrode system (4) comprising at least two electrically conductive electrodes (5) situated inside of at least one dielectic body (6) with the mutual distance less than 3 mm, energized by a time alternating voltage with the frequency above 1 kHz and magnitude from 1 kV to 100 kV applied to the electrodes (5) resulting in that the ionized electrical plasma stream (3) flowing with the velocity higher than 10 cm/s in parallel and in contact with the part of dielectric body surface (7) and substantially in parallel with the electric displacement field lines is generated above of a part of the dielectric body surface (7) there exists a point in the plasma stream (3) where the electric field vector is parallel with a part of the dielectric surface above that the plasma is generated (7) and where a portion of the total flow of electric displacement field lines (8) flowing between the electrodes (5) greater than 25% is not intersecting the plasma stream (3). The device is used for surface treatment applications such as increasing surface wettability, increasing surface biocompatibility, sterilization, decontamination, hands and skin sanitization, deodorization, detoxication, etching, and for activated water generation.