Kinetic modeling of ozone generation via dielectric barrier discharges

A mathematical model combining chemical kinetic and reactor geometry is developed for ozone synthesis in dry O-2 streams with a wire-tube dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. Good agreement is found between the predicted ozone concentrations and experimental data. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to elucidate the relative importance of individual reactions. Results indicate that the ground-state oxygen atom is the most important species for O-3 generation; however, ozone generation will be inhibited if the O atom is overdosed. The excited species, that is, O(D-1) and O-2(b(1)Sigma), can decompose O-3 and suppress ozone synthesis. The model developed is then applied to modify the original DBD reactor design for the enhancement of ozone yield. With a thinner dielectric thickness, more than 10% increase of ozone concentration is achieved.