Effects of nitrogen on ozone synthesis in packed-bed dielectric barrier discharge

The effects of nitrogen on ozone synthesis are studied in a coaxial cylinder generator with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and pack-bed dielectric barrier discharge (PB-DBD). A series of 10 h discharge experiments are conducted adopting a bare stainless electrode and bare copper electrode. Results show that the material of the electrode can affect the ozone synthesis. It is inferred that the ozone zero phenomenon (OZP) may be induced from ozone decomposing by metallic oxide catalysis. Packing dielectric particles can reduce the OZP. Adding a certain amount of nitrogen into the oxygen feed gas can further eliminate the OZP, and increase the ozone concentration significantly, but decreases the maximum energy efficiency of ozone generators. Initial analysis indicates that the optimal proportion of nitrogen addition is inversely related to the average reduced electric field strength in the discharge region.