High Pressure Plasma-assisted Combustion

Key Technical Challenges: Design and manufacturing of point-to-plane or plane-to-plane electrodes for the pressure vessel; design and build of gaseous fuel delivery system; investigating the most efficient high voltage application for plasma generation across electrodes in terms of voltage, frequency, and pulse duration; and, development of high pressure kinetic mechanisms based on optical diagnostic measurements.\nApproach/Research Plan: Design and obtain electrode hardware as well as supporting gaseous fuel delivery hardware not already in possession; Generate non-equilibrium plasma in high-pressure conditions; Complete characterization of species generated in plasma and downstream reaction; Characterize extension of ignition/lean blow out range with plasma-assistance; and, Provide detailed analysis, plasma-assisted strategy suggestions, and potential mechanism improvements.\nDifferent/Complementary: Plentiful research on plasma-assisted combustion and oxidation has been conducted on near atmospheric pressure conditions while the high pressure regime remains quite neglected. We plan to lean on such previous work as it provides a blueprint and direction for test design and comparative analysis for high pressure conditions. \nNext Step: Initial prototype designs for specific prototype applications.

Goal: To characterize high pressure plasma-assisted oxidation and combustion.\nCapability Need/Knowledge Gap: This project fills knowledge gaps Fixed Habitat, Mobile Habitat, and Semi-Closed Life Support, and high pressure combustion and oxidation kinetics as well as provide insight into application strategies.\nState-of-the-Art/Knowledge: No known literature exists for the ignition limits at these conditions nor are there any recorded breakdown voltages. Very little plasma and chemistry kinetics are known at these high pressures. In fact, no known study or species measurements have ever been conducted on plasma-assisted supercritical water oxidation and hydrothermal flames.

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