Plasma assisted ignition and combustion

Abstract

In recent decades particular interest in applications of nonequilibrium plasma for the problems of plasma-assisted ignition and plasma-assisted combustion has been observed. A great amount of experimental data has been accumulated during this period which provided the grounds for using low temperature plasma of nonequilibrium gas discharges for a number of applications at conditions of high speed flows and also at conditions similar to automotive engines. The paper is aimed at reviewing the data obtained and discusses their treatment. Basic possibilities of low temperature plasma to ignite gas mixtures are evaluated and historical references highlighting pioneering works in the area are presented. The first part of the review discusses plasmas applied to plasma-assisted ignition and combustion. The paper pays special attention to experimental and theoretical analysis of some plasma parameters, such as reduced electric field, electron density and energy branching for different gas discharges. Streamers, pulsed nanosecond discharges, dielectric barrier discharges, radio frequency discharges and atmospheric pressure glow discharges are considered. The second part depicts applications of discharges to reduce the ignition delay time of combustible mixtures, to ignite transonic and supersonic flows, to intensify ignition and to sustain combustion of lean mixtures. The results obtained by different authors are cited, and ways of numerical modelling are discussed. Finally, the paper draws some conclusions on the main achievements and prospects of future investigations in the field.

Validation of a novel numerical model for the electric currents in burner-stabilized methane–air flames

“…They can be used in conjunction with (strong) external electric fields to enhance flame stability [4,5], or ignite combustible mixtures with a spark plug [6][7][8][9][10]. Starikovskaia [11] presents a comprehensive review on plasma assisted ignition and combustion, which can be used to lower the ignition temperature significantly [12]. Another option pioneered recently is to use electric current measurements, to investigate the thermo-acoustic behavior of flames [13].…”

Origin of activated combustion in steady-state premixed burner flame with superposition of dielectric barrier discharge

“…Plasma-assisted combustion 1) has been a growing research field in recent years as a technology to achieve the reduced consumption of fossil fuels and to avoid global warming.…”

Electrically driven combustion near the plane wall in a supersonic duct

“…Such a method led to some variation in the reduced electric ¦eld E/N that could be important for understanding some features of interaction. The nonequilibrium plasma (characterized by high E/N level) could be more e¨ective in terms of fast fuel ignition [1,2].…”