Characterization of a Pilot-Scale Corona Radical Shower Non-Thermal Plasma Discharge Using Propene

Abstract A pilot-scale non-thermal plasma unit (NTP) and a UV-C photolysis unit for industrial emission control were integrated in the wind tunnel facility at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and characterized employing propene as model VOC. The experiments were monitored by high-resolution Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS), and the results show that gas phase chemistry in the NTP discharge strongly resembles the naturally occurring OH radical-induced oxidation in the Earth’s atmosphere – the main products being formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, and hydroxy acetone. A chemical box model, based on a well-established atmospheric oxidation mechanism, reproduces the experimental results and allows identification of chemical ‘hot-spots’ in the system.