Experimental and simulation investigations of DBD plasma reactor at normal environmental conditions

In this paper a cylindrical Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma reactor is analyzed and investigated at normal environmental conditions. The stressed voltage is varied up to 40 kV peak to peak with variable frequency up to 4 kHz. In order to compare the experimental findings with the simulation results, an equivalent electrical circuit model is used. To simulate the dynamic micro-discharge inside the plasma reactor, a voltage-controlled current-source is implemented. The reactor is filled with Aluminum Oxide to enhance its operation. An equivalent configuration is proposed to model the region of alumina pellets inside the reactor and to calculate the corresponding equivalent capacitance. It is found that the measured voltage, discharge current and voltage-charge waveforms are consistent with the simulated results. The quantitative comparison of the experimental and simulated data confirms the validity of the developed electrical circuit model of the plasma reactor.