Chemical reaction kinetics and reactor modeling of NOx removal in a pulsedstreamer corona discharge reactor

The removal of nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2) from dry nitrogen gas and dry a ir with and without ethylene using a pulsed streamer corona discharge react or (PSCDR) was investigated. A kinetic model was developed to characterize the chemical reactions taking place in a PSCDR using a combination of the C HEMKIN and KINEMA programs. Concurrently, an experimental program to determ ine NO removal from a gas stream was conducted. The electron density for th e reactions of N-2 and O-2 by electron-molecule collisions was obtained by fitting the model to experimental data on NO removal as functions of the ap plied electric field and the reactor residence times. The model was then us ed to predict the concentrations of various other species, including O-3, N O2, N2O, and byproducts of ethylene decomposition, to test the model and to guide the experimental analysis of byproduct characterization.