Abstract
One possible solution to mitigating the effects of high atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) is the use of a plasma source to break apart the molecule into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen. This work experimentally investigates the efficiency of dissociation of CO2 in a 1-kW radio-frequency (rf) plasma source operating at 13.56-MHz in a low-pressure discharge. Mass spectrometry diagnostics are used to determine the species present in the discharge, and these measurements are used to calculate the energy efficiency and conversion efficiency of CO2 dissociation in the rf plasma source. Experimental results have found that the conversion efficiency of CO2 to CO can reach values near 90%, however energy efficiency reaches a maximum of 3%. A theoretical energy cost analysis is also given as a method to evaluate the effectiveness of any plasma system designed for CO2 emissions reduction.
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Spencer, L.F., Gallimore, A.D. Efficiency of CO2 Dissociation in a Radio-Frequency Discharge. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 31, 79–89 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-010-9273-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-010-9273-0