Speaker
Description
Plasmas exhibit properties that make them useful in a wide range of applications, such as lighting, semiconductor processing, nanometer lithography, surface treatments, fusion energy, plasma medicine, future fuels, plasma agriculture and environmental applications. Within this large area, pulsed-power driven, transient plasmas perform much better in energy efficiency and processing performance, and this paper provides an overview of the developments in this field in our group in Eindhoven.
Rapid progress is being made in the fields of nanosecond pulsed-power techniques, fast and heavy duty solid state switches, electrical diagnostics, multiscale modelling of plasma, optical and laser-based diagnostics of transient plasmas and chemical characterization of transient plasmas. Considerable progress has been made in pulsed-power levels for industrial applications (current status is an industrial 20 kW, 80 kV pulsed-power system for gas treatment). Detailed research on the electrical and chemical processes in pulsed-power driven transient plasmas resulted in a boost of efficiencies. Electrical efficiency was raised to above 90 %. Simultaneous improvement of plasma chemistry resulted in record high processing yields for plasma driven processes as ozone production and the abatement of nitrogen oxides.
The following examples of pulsed power driven plasma processes will be discussed: CO2 methanation, medical plasmas (plasma plasters), processing of gas and liquid flows (pollution control), and plasma agriculture (e.g. plasma based nitrogen fixation for decentralized production of fertilizer, and plasma activated water as a sustainable alternative for pesticides in horticulture).
