Title :
Pulsed periodic corona discharges for biological decontamination
Author :
Timoshkin, I.V. ; Maclean, M. ; MacGregor, S.J. ; Anderson, J.G. ; Wilson, M.P. ; Wang, T. ; Given, M.J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electron. & Electr. Eng., Univ. of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Abstract :
The present paper explores the possibilities of using impulsive and steady-state corona discharges for biodecontamination operations. A high tension tubular corona electrode was stressed with positive or negative DC voltage with magnitude up to 26 kV, and a grounded mesh was used as an opposite electrode. Different operational regimes of this corona generator were investigated for the production of ozone in air flow and the inactivation of microorganisms. The test microorganism used in this work was E. coli. The results show that corona-generated ozone, and potentially other chemical species, have a strong bactericidal effect, for example positive flashing corona discharges were able to reduce populations of the test microorganism by ~95% within a 30-60 sec time interval. The bactericidal efficiency of different corona discharge modes and its correlation with ozone levels is discussed. The results obtained in this work will help in the design and development of compact plasma systems for environmental applications.
Keywords :
antibacterial activity; corona; decontamination; microorganisms; ozone; plasma applications; plasma chemistry; E. coli; O3; air flow; bactericidal efficiency; biodecontamination operations; biological decontamination; compact plasma systems; corona generator; corona-generated ozone; environmental applications; grounded mesh; high tension tubular corona electrode; impulsive corona discharges; microorganism inactivation; negative DC voltage; ozone production; population reduction; positive DC voltage; positive flashing corona discharges; pulsed periodic corona discharges; steady-state corona discharges; time 30 s to 60 s; Atmospheric modeling; Biology; Corona; Discharges; Electrostatics; Fault location; Wires;
Conference_Titel :
Pulsed Power Conference (PPC), 2011 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Chicago, IL
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4577-0629-5
DOI :
10.1109/PPC.2011.6191573