Plasma reactor

• US 7,727,489 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: Kondou, Atsuo, Masuda, Masaaki, Dosaka, Kenji, Sakuma, Takeshi, Fujioka, Yasumasa, Iwama, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayekar; Kishor
• Application Number:
  US11/374,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20060208650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 421/860.4, 422/186.04
• US Class Current: 422/186.04
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32009 Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources plasma generation in general H05H1/24

Abstract

A plasma reactor is provided with two or more plasma generating electrodes which are installed in series inside a gas passage in a casing, with each plasma generating electrode being electrically controlled independently. The surface area of the conductor on each unit electrode forming the plasma generating electrode installed on the upstream side of the gas passage is smaller than the surface area of the conductor on the unit electrode forming the plasma generating electrode installed on the downstream side of the gas passage. Plasma can be generated between each of the unit electrodes by supplying each of the plasma generating electrodes with independently controlled electric power. The plasma reactor can efficiently react specific components contained in the gas passing through the gas passage.

Claims

1. A plasma reactor comprising

a plasma generating electrode composed of a plurality of unit electrodes disposed facing vis-à

-vis at a prescribed interval, each of the unit electrodes having a plate-shaped conductor and a ceramic dielectric provided on at least one the surface of the plate-shaped conductor,

a passage for gas containing specific components, and

a casing for housing the plasma generating electrode and the gas passage,

wherein two or more of the plasma generating electrodes are installed in series inside the gas passage in the casing, with each plasma generating electrode being electrically controlled independently, and

a surface area of the conductor of the unit electrode forming the plasma generating electrode installed on an upstream side of the gas passage is smaller than a surface area of the conductor of the unit electrode forming the plasma generating electrode installed on a downstream side of the gas passage,

whereby plasma can be generated between each of the unit electrodes by supplying each of the plasma generating electrodes with independently controlled electric power.

2. The plasma reactor according to claim 1, wherein two or more of the plasma generating electrodes are installed linearly and in series inside the gas passage in the casing.

3. The plasma reactor according to claim 1, wherein the length of the conductor of each unit electrode forming the plasma generating electrode installed on the downstream side of the gas passage in the gas flow direction is larger than the length of the unit electrode forming the plasma generating electrode installed on the upstream side of the gas passage 6 in the gas flow direction.

4. The plasma reactor according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic dielectric on the unit electrode is installed so as to cover both sides of the surface of the conductor.

5. The plasma reactor according to claim 1, comprising two or more power supplies, two or more of the plasma generating electrodes being connected to any one of the two or more power supplies and each being electrically controlled independently.

6. The plasma reactor according to claim 5, wherein the two or more power supplies are pulse power supplies.

7. The plasma reactor according to claim 5, further comprising control means for integrally controlling the two or more power supplies.

8. The plasma reactor according to claim 7, wherein integral control using the control means includes pulse energy control in each of the two or more power supplies and/or pulse repetition cycle control in each of the two or more power supplies.

9. The plasma reactor according to claim 7, wherein the control means integrally controls the two or more power supplies to reduce the pressure difference between the upstream side and the downstream side of the gas passage.

10. The plasma reactor according to claim 5, wherein the two or more pulse power supplies include at least one SI thyristor.

11. The plasma reactor according to claim 1, wherein the amount of electric power (W) supplied to each of the plasma generating electrodes is designed so that the electric power per unit area (W/mm²) of the conductors gradually decreases from the plasma generating electrode installed on the upstream side of the gas passage toward the plasma generating electrode installed on the downstream side.

12. The plasma reactor according to claim 1, wherein each of the plasma generating electrodes installed inside the gas passage in the casing can be displaced independently.