Nitric oxide (NO) is increasingly being used in medical applications. Currently, a gas cylinder of N2 mixed with a high concentration of NO is used in the NO inhalation system. However, this arrangement is potentially risky due to the possibility of accidental leak of NO from the cylinder. The presence of NO in air leads to the formation of nitric dioxide (NO2), which is toxic to the lungs. Therefore, an on-site generation of NO would be very desirable for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and other related illnesses. Previously, our group reported the production of NO using a pulsed arc discharge. In this work, the prototype of the on-site NO generator was developed and the performances of the NO generator were demonstrated for medical applications.

Nitric oxide (NO) is increasingly being used in medical treatments of high blood pressure, acute respiratory distress syndrome and other illnesses related to the lungs. Currently a NO inhalation system consists of a gas cylinder of N2 mixed with a high concentration of NO. This arrangement is potentially risky due to the possibility of an accidental leak of NO from the cylinder. The presence of NO in the air leads to the formation of nitric dioxide (NO2), which is toxic to the lungs. Therefore, an on-site generator of NO would be highly desirable for medical doctors to use with patients with lung disease.To develop the NO inhalation system without a gas cylinder, which would include a high concentration of NO, NAMIHIRA et al have recently reported on the production of NO from room air using a pulsed arc discharge. In the present work, the temperature of the pulsed arc discharge plasma used to generate NO was measured to optimize the discharge condition. The results of the temperature measurements showed the temperature of the pulsed arc discharge plasma reached about 10,000 K immediately after discharge initiation and gradually decreased over tens of microseconds. In addition, it was found that NO was formed in a discharge plasma having temperatures higher than 9,000 K and a smaller input energy into the discharge plasma generates NO more efficiently than a larger one.

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Anisakis is a parasite that is found in many marine products and can cause anisakiasis when present in fish consumed raw. The most common way to prevent anisakiasis is to freeze the fish, but this causes a noticeable decrease in the quality of the fish when eaten as sashimi. Although no practical method of killing anisakis other than freezing has been found, we have now succeeded in inactivating anisakis inside the fish meat by repeatedly and instantaneously applying electric current to the fish meat using pulsed power technology. The fish meat was placed in buffer saltwater, and pulsed power was applied multiple times. The immobilization rate was highest when the buffer saltwater was 5 mS/cm. The immobility ratio increased as the number of shots increased. Sensory evaluation of the fish meat after the pulse treatment confirmed that it retained its quality as sashimi. Breaking tests and color measurements were also conducted. We believe that this pulsed power treatment is a useful alternative to freezing as a method for killing anisakis.

In 1987, Nitric oxide (NO) was identified as an effective treatment involving endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) 1 . NO has attracted lots of attention from the discovery. And now, NO is increasingly being used in medical treatments for some illness related lung. Currently a system of NO inhalation has a gas cylinder of N 2 mixed with a high concentration of NO. However, this method is potentially risky due to the possibility of accidental leak of NO from the cylinder. In addition, gas cylinder is too heavy to carry around and too expensive to be used for all patients. Therefore, an on-site generation of NO would be highly desirable for patient, who is suffering lung disease, and medical doctors. Previous researches reported that NO is produced by pulsed arc discharge in the mixture of N 2 and O 2 , and NO concentration increases with the increasing of pulse repetition rate and energy storage capacitance 2-4 . In this paper, the detail about a prototype of NO generator by pulsed arc discharge based on the optimal discharge condition has been reported. As the results, it is observed that NO concentration in the outlet gas is about almost 1000ppm and rise time is about 20 to 30 sec. These conditions are enough for NO inhalation therapy. Additionally, NO concentration is adjustable by changing pulse repetition rate.