Premium
Investigation on the products distribution, reaction pathway, and discharge mechanism of low‐pressure CO 2 discharge by employing a 1D simulation model
Author(s) -
Wang Cong,
Fu Qiang,
Chang Zhengshi,
Zhang Guanjun
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.202000228
Subject(s) - glow discharge , carbon dioxide , vibrational temperature , mars exploration program , chemistry , excitation , relaxation (psychology) , cathode , carbon fibers , analytical chemistry (journal) , atomic physics , materials science , plasma , molecule , environmental chemistry , electrical engineering , composite material , psychology , social psychology , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , astronomy , composite number , engineering
Mars has a special carbon dioxide environment. The surface and atmosphere of Mars contain a large amount of solid and gaseous carbon dioxide, which makes the in‐situ resource utilization of Martian carbon dioxide attract widespread attention. The conversion of carbon dioxide into fuel or high value‐added products through electrical discharge has become a research focus, in which numerical simulation is one of the important means to explain the experimental phenomenon and the mechanism. Therefore, a one‐dimensional fluid model was established in this paper to simulate the discharge and conversion of carbon dioxide under simulated Martian atmospheric pressure. The discharge mode, particle distribution, and discharge mechanism were studied by considering CO 2 vibrational states and vibration relaxation reaction in the model. The results show that the discharge mode is glow discharge with an obvious cathode fall region, negative glow space, and positive column. The density of the four discharge products, C, O 2 , CO, and O, shows a step‐up trend, showing a significant cumulative effect, and the peak values appear near both electrodes. The density of vibrational states of CO 2 molecule, which is highest in the neutral products, increases during the discharge stage and decreases after the discharge is extinguished. The temporal and spatial distribution of reaction rates shows that vibrational excitation, electronic excitation, and vibrational relaxation reactions dominate the loss and formation of CO 2 . The density of ground‐state CO 2 decreases obviously in the discharge stage, and the minimum density appears near the instantaneous cathode. After the discharge is extinguished, the CO 2 near the instantaneous cathode increases gradually.