Investigation of Preionization Effects in Atmospheric Pulsed Discharge

Preionization for atmospheric pressure discharge plasma has been employed in several pulse gas lasers, while dielectric barrier discharge has often been utilized for ozone generators. A single ozone-generating device combining both preionization discharge and dielectric barrier discharge is investigated in this paper. The preionizing electrode configuration consisted of a wire-dielectric-plate with a 1.5-mm-thick aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) barrier with relative permittivity ε_r of about 10. Wire electrodes (0.8-mm diameter) and plate electrodes were all made of stainless steel. A barrier discharge was generated by applying a pulse voltage between the plate electrode and the wire electrodes across the dielectric, which was served as a preionizer. The main discharge was produced immediately after preionization by applying a high-voltage pulse between the wire-plate electrodes with a gap distance of 10 mm. This paper examines the temporal and spatial evolution of the discharge with and without preionization. Results from a high-speed framing camera indicate that preionization increases the volume of the main discharge, resulting in a streamer-like discharge system with preionization, which is an effective method for ozone generation.