Applications of repetitive pulsed power, research at TU/E

Summary form only given. Current pulsed plasma research at TU/e Eindhoven, Department of Electrical Engineering, focuses on the integration of pulsed power technology into processes of multidisciplinary character. Examples of such processes are sustainable energy generation, chemical processing, and plasmas in super critical media. The research area concerns three interrelated systems: power modulator (1), interfacing plasma (2) and target process (3). The main challenges are adequate energy transfer between the three systems, tuning of the plasma energy levels and durable fast switching systems. The results show that pulsed power is a reliable and controllable technology for reducing industrial emissions, for syngas conditioning and for unconventional chemical processing. Our research will shift more in the direction of pulsed power produced plasmas for sustainable technology. Plasmas, chaotic in nature and present everywhere in the universe can be tailor made in the laboratory. Such controlled pulsed plasmas create intelligent processing to facilitate the drive towards sustainability. To proceed along these lines the research has to focus on the generation of pre-defined plasmas and selective processing. Consequently, our efforts are be directed to integrating the three competence areas of plasma physics, pulsed power technology and chemical process technology. Recent results of the work will be summarized. Items will include radical efficiency of streamer phases, non-steady state chemistry, tar removal from biomass derived syngas, industrial systems for VOC reduction and plasmas under supercritical conditions.