Discharge Characteristics of DBD with Contact Electrodes at Atmospheric Pressure in Quiescent Air

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been widely concerned due to its stability and non-corrosive electrode structure. In this study, a mesh-like DBD reactor with wire-to-wire cross-contact electrodes is proposed. Coated high-voltage electrodes with dielectric barriers in directed contact with the ground electrodes facilitate the generation of a wide range of non-thermal plasma at lower voltages. The performance of the designed plasma reactor has been investigated in terms of its electrical, optical, thermal properties and ozone generation capabilities. It is shown that the discharge first occurs in the gap at the contact point, which produces initial electrons and then diffuses into the surrounding air gap, leading to the formation of a certain discharge region. Increasing the magnitude of the applied voltage and the number of contact points increases the discharge intensity, discharge power, emission intensity of active particles and ozone concentration. Decreasing the mesh size d favors ozone formation, and the highest ozone yield of 240 ppm can be achieved with a mesh size d of 4 mm.