GLIDARC reactor power supply with ignition improvement

Purpose The research purpose of this paper is to confirm that internal overvoltages in the push–pull power inverter can be used to improve the discharge ignition in the gliding arc discharge (GAD) plasma reactor. Design/methodology/approach Investigations are based on the acquisition of voltage changes that occur together with the development of the discharge column and the imaging the GAD with the use of a high-speed camera. Findings The power supply has the distinctive feature of not having the switching overvoltages completely extinguished, as it is in typical push–pull inverters. The overvoltages still exist but only dangerous peaks are cut off. The remaining ones, of a dumped resonance character (Figure 3), are transferred to the secondary coil of the transformer. Correctly shaped overvoltages are used for ignition improvement in the GAD reactor. Practical implications GAD plasma reactors have many applications for pollution control, disinfection and sterilization of surfaces and for plasma deposition, surface functionalization, as well as in agricultural and medical treatment. Investigations prove the push–pull inverter’s advantages in comparison with the transformer-type power supply. Properly configured push–pull inverters have good ignition properties and control options, allowing to generate, desirable for many applications, homogeneous non-thermal plasma. Originality/value The idea of using switching overvoltages in transistors of push–pull switching-mode power supplies is new and has not been previously used to improve discharges ignition in a non-thermal plasma reactor.