Spatial and time resolved investigations of NO- and OH-distributions in dielectric barrier discharge plasmas using planar laser induced fluorescence

Summary form only given. The development of lean combustion technology calls for new systems in exhaust gas after treatment since state-of-the-art catalysts do not work properly in oxygen rich environments. The potential of plasma based processes has been investigated by several research groups. It turned out that the plasma induced reaction kinetic is extremely complex. Therefore empirical process optimization by varying electrical and geometrical parameters of the experimental setup is not very efficient. Only the knowledge of the fundamental chemical reactions promises specific improvements in plasma exhaust after treatment. Optical laser aided methods offer non-intrusive investigations of the complex reactions in the plasma filaments. In this work laser spectroscopic measurements have been applied to plasma filaments of pulsed dielectric barrier discharges. The spatial and time resolved distributions of the important radicals NO and OH are obtained by using planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF).