Plasma Water Activation with an Inductive Plasma

Torch at Atmospheric Pressure

Motivation
Plasma Activated Water (PAW) Application Advantage of the Presented ICP-System
Hydrogen Peroxide H 2 O2 Biological Applications Compact Design
Nitrite NO−
2 Food Industry High RF- Efficiency (98%)
Nitrate NO−
3 Agriculture High Power (>1 kW)

Torch System Simulation

Power Supply Equilibrium Plasma Simulation
SiC Based Resonant Converter [1] COMSOL Simulation of the Ar-Torch [2,3]
3 MHz Excitation Frequency Multiphysics: Heat Flow, Fluid Dynamics,
Magnetic Fields, Equilibrium Discharge
1.2 kW Input Power
Parameter Result
Used gas: Argon Temperature in the
Power Coupling Area
Inner flow: 3 lpm ≈ 2200 K

Sheath flow: 21 lpm Electron Temperature

H2 O at the Torch Outlet
Pointed at DI-Water ≈ 0.15 eV
in a Distance of 10 mm

Reactions Measurements
Reaction examples for RONS Method
𝒆− e + N2→ e+N+N generation [4] Colorimetric Measurement of the RONS Concentration using Quantofix
Electron Collision Dissociation Test Strips every 10 Minutes.
e + O2→ e+O+O of N2 and O2 at the Plasma-
Atmosphere-Impact Region Dependence of
RONS Concentration
O + O2→O 3 Nitrite and Nitrate Components on Treatment
𝑁2 𝑂2 𝑁2 Reacting with Water Duration
𝑂2 Hydroxide Generation by
𝑂2 𝑁2
N+O → NO Electron Water Interaction
NO + O → NO 2
NO2 + NO2 + H2 O → NO− −
2 + NO3 + 2H
+
Comparison Pencil
Plasma Jet [4] and
𝐻2 𝑂 𝐻2 𝑂
e + H2 O → OH + H + e
𝐻2 𝑂 NO2 + O3→ NO
the Presented ICP
3
OH + OH → H2 O2 Torch

Conclusion References
RONS-Generation [1] Eizaguirre, Santiago ; Gehring, Tim ; Denk, Fabian ; Simon, Christoph ; Kling, Rainer: Argon ICP plasma torch at
atmospheric pressure driven by a SiC based resonant converter operating in MHz range. PCIM Europe digital days 2020,
High RNS Generation Compared to Similar Technologies Poster, 7-8.07.2020

[2] COMSOL Multiphysics v. 6. www.comsol.com. COMSOL AB, Stockholm, Sweden.

Improving RNS Generation Rate
Further Increase in RNS Production through ICP Nitrogen Plasma
Stable Plasma Operation with 20% N2 in Ar Tested at 3 MHz and 1.2 kW
[3] Xue, S.; Proulx, P.; Boulos, M.I. Extended-field electromagnetic model for inductively coupled plasma. Journal of
Physics D: Applied Physics 2001, 34, 1897–1906. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/34/12/321.
[4] Rathore, V.; Nema, S.K. The role of different plasma forming gases on chemical species formed in plasma activated
water (PAW) and their effect on its properties. Physica Scripta 2022, 97, 065003. https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-
4896/ac6d1b.

Contact: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Dr.-Ing. Tim Gehring Light Technology Institute (LTI)
Phone: +49 721 608 47064 Engesserstr. 13
E-Mail: tim.gehring@kit.edu 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany

KIT – The Research University in the Helmholtz Association