Guest Editorial Special Issue on Plasma-Assisted Combustion December 2012

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 40, NO. 12, DECEMBER 2012

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Guest Editorial Special Issue on Plasma-Assisted Combustion December 2012

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HIS IS THE seventh issue in a series of special issues on plasma-assisted combustion (PAC), following on the success of the first IEEE-TPS Special Issue on Plasma-Assisted Combustion (December 2006). For nearly two centuries, the application of electric fields to flames has been studied. It has found practical application almost 100 years ago in increasing temperatures in furnaces heated by flames and was further applied to flames, burners, and internal-combustion engines during the past six decades. Beyond this, when the magnitude of an electric field applied to a fuel or fuel/air mixture is sufficient to cause electrical breakdown, plasma effects dominate. Plasmas can have effects on increasing electron and ion temperatures and promoting combustion through the dissociation of fuel molecules into smaller more easily combusted fragments and the formation of “active” species (such as free radicals or excited-state molecules), which can promote combustion reactions. The field of PAC keeps growing in terms of interest worldwide, possibly having applications to more efficient fossil fuel usage, the conversion of low-grade fuels into higher grade fuels, the reduction of pollution through ultralean burn combustion, improved methods of combustion ignition, and the conversion of fossil fuel (e.g., coal) or municipal waste into usable energy—all timely topics in this second decade of the 21st century. PAC is a cross-disciplinary field of plasma science and technology. Because of a greater concern about global climate change and the need for more energy-efficient and lesspolluting combustion techniques, it is currently receiving even greater interest and, through progress in the past few years, has established this Special Issue forum for scientists and researchers to disseminate and review current research and applications in the field. The intention of this Special Issue continues the aim of the first special issue, namely, to provide an integrated forum for reporting on timely research and technology development in the field and to promote further interest and exchange of technical information in this exciting and technologically practical area of plasma science. In addition, because of renewed interest in fields related to PAC, such as water treatment, air/flue gas treatment, materials processing, and other applications involving plasmas, the Special Issue has been expanded to include such plasma-assisted technologies (PATs).

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPS.2012.2226765

Contributions were solicited in the primary topic areas of the physics/chemistry of the effects of plasmas on flames and deflagration-to-detonation transitions, the use of plasmas to promote and/or improve efficiency in engines (automotive, aircraft, etc.) or flames and/or burners, plasma sources (e.g., jets) for improved ignition, applications to aircraft pulsed detonation engines, applications to pollution reduction through enhanced combustion, and applications to fuel reforming/conversion (e.g., fossil fuel to hydrogen) and the conversion of municipal waste to energy. Based on the 7th International Workshop and Exhibition on Plasma Assisted Combustion (IWEPAC-7), held in Las Vegas, NV, in September 2011, contributions were also solicited and received in other PAT areas. It had more than 40 attendees from eight countries, namely, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. Twenty-eight papers were presented in eight sessions: 1) plasma generation, diagnostics, and modeling; 2) plasma ignition and flame control; 3) fuel activation and reformation; 4) plasma kinetics and flow dynamics; 5) coal, biomass, and waste into energy processing; 6) water treatment; 7) power sources; and 8) new plasma effects and prospective applications. Each section was followed by a round-table session to facilitate discussions on prospective directions of activity and the creation of international research collaborations for joint project development and implementation. Of special significance was a new session on applications of plasmas to water purification/treatment. This special issue contains eight papers. The first paper by Cha and Lee describes the combustion of premixed gases in a constant volume chamber under the influence of an electric field. The next three papers by Hammack et al., and Ardelyan et al. describe research carried out on the combustion of hydrocarbon–air mixtures in various types of plasma reactors. The fifth paper by Bychkov et al. reports on the modeling of a dust-gas fireball electrical discharge plasma (a Gatchina discharge) and how it related to ball lightning. In the sixth paper by Emelin et al., artificially created ball lightning is described in terms of its relation to plasma combustion. The seventh paper by Morgan describes the modeling of ion chemistry in a hydrothermal, supercritical situation produced by an electrical discharge in an aqueous sodium chloride solution. In the eighth paper, Morgan and Rosocha report on the relevant plasma physics and chemistry of electrical discharge plasmas initiated by a needle conductor driven by RF power. The guest editors would like to thank the authors for the excellent papers in this special issue. We hope that this special issue will stimulate the submission of similar high-quality

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papers in future issues of the Transactions. In addition, the guest editors would like to thank the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Steven Gitomer, and the IEEE editorial and production staff for encouragement and assistance in preparing the special issue. In the future, a special issue slated for December 2013 will contain selected papers from the 8th International Conference on Plasma Assisted Technologies that will be held in February 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2013, IWEPAC will be expanded to include other plasma technology applications and the workshop name will be changed to the International Conference on Plasma Assisted Technologies (ICPAT). ICPAT will be different from the many plasma-related conferences already in existence: It is meant to include fundamental research but will emphasize technology, particularly as it applies to commercial applications. We believe that this will distinguish ICPAT from other conferences and provide a unique forum for the “nuts and bolts” of plasmaassisted R&D while preserving the core idea of IWEPAC, i.e., an emphasis on the scientific chain from ideas and fundamentals to practical applications.

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, VOL. 40, NO. 12, DECEMBER 2012

Progress in plasma sources, coupled with industrial and societal demands for cleaner and more energy-efficient combustion and waste processing methods, has led to the development and worldwide implementation of a variety of plasma-based technologies for combustion enhancement, fuel reformation, and gasification. PAC is now a quickly growing field of science: on the one hand, stimulating progress in areas such as plasma physics, electronics, and material science and, on the other hand, providing extraordinary opportunities to make progress in propulsion, power generation, and environmental protection.

L OUIS A. ROSOCHA, Guest Editor Applied Physics Consulting Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA I GOR B. M ATVEEV, Guest Editor Applied Plasma Technologies, LLC McLean, VA 22101 USA

Louis A. Rosocha (A’94) was born in February 1950 in Harrison, AR. He received the B.S. degree in physics from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1972 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics (with a minor in chemistry) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1975 and 1979, respectively. From 1978 to 1981, he was with the National Research Group of Madison, WI, developing pulsed ultraviolet lasers, fast pulsed-power switchgear, and modeling commercial ozone generators for water treatment. From October 1981 to January 2008, he was a Technical Staff Member and a Manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). After an early retirement from LANL in 2008, he became an Independent Consultant, focusing his R&D interests on CO2 sequestration/global warming, national energy security, and water/air pollution abatement. He is the author of more than 100 publications in books, refereed journals, and conference proceedings, and he has five patents to his credit. Dr. Rosocha is currently a member of the American Physical Society and Phi Beta Kappa. He was formerly a member of the International Ozone Association. Since 2004, he has been a Guest Editor of the IEEE Plasma Assisted Combustion special issue, the Organizer of the first International Workshop on Plasma Assisted Combustion, and an Organization Committee Member of the 2nd to 7th International Workshop and Exhibition on Plasma Assisted Combustion. He was the recipient of the two Distinguished Performance Awards during his tenure at LANL. Igor B. Matveev (M’07) was born in Russia on February 11, 1954. He received the Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering, in 1977 and the Ph.D. degree in 1984, respectively, from the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Institute, Nikolaev, Ukraine. His Ph.D. thesis was titled “Development and Implementation of The Plasma Ignition Systems for Naval Gas Turbines.” From 1977 to 1990, he was a Researcher, a Teacher, and an Associate Professor with Nikolaev Shipbuilding Institute. In 1990, he established a privately owned company Plasmatechnika (Ukraine) for the development and mass production of plasma systems. More than 1200 plasma systems developed under his supervision are in operation worldwide. Since 2003, he has been with Applied Plasma Technologies, McLean, VA, as President and CEO. From 2000 to 2002, Dr. Matveev served as an International Consultant for the UN Economic Commission for Europe in energy and water conservation. At that time frame, the UN project established the Energy and Water Conservation Zones in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Since 2004, he has been a Guest Editor of the IEEE Plasma Assisted Combustion special issue and the Organization Committee Chair of the 2nd to 7th International Workshop and Exhibition on Plasma Assisted Combustion. In 1996, he was awarded the title “Citizen of the Year” in his native city.