Influence of Ionization Degrees on Conversion of CO and CO 2 in Atmospheric Plasma near the Ground

A zero-dimensional model is used to study the processes of physical and chemical reactions in atmospheric plasma with different ionization degrees near the ground (0 km). The temporal evolutions of CO, CO ₂ and other main reactants (namely OH and O ₂ ), which affect the conversion of CO and CO ₂ , are obtained for afterglow plasma with different initial values. The results show that the consumption rate of CO is largest when the initial electron number density n_e0 =10¹² cm ⁻³, i.e. the ionization degree is 0.000004%. The number density of CO ₂ is relatively small when n _e0 =10 ¹⁶ cm ⁻³, i.e. the ionization degree is 0.04%, whereas they are very close under the condition of other ionization degrees. Considering the total number densities of CO and CO 2 and the consumption rate of CO comprehensively, the best condition is n _e0 =10 ¹³ cm ⁻³, i.e. the ionization degree is 0.00004% for reducing the densities of CO and CO 2 in the atmospheric plasma. The temporal evolutions of N ⁺, Ar ⁺, CO ⁺ and CO ⁺ ₂ are also shown, and the influences on the temporal evolutions of CO and CO ₂ are analyzed with increasing ionization degree.