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We present in this paper a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modelling of the gliding arc behaviour of a dc plasma torch operating with air under low current and high voltage conditions. The low current leads to instabilities and difficulties with simulating the process because the magnetic field is not sufficient to constrict the arc. The model is 3D, time dependent and the MHD equations are solved using CFD software Code Saturne®. Although the arc is definitively non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), the LTE assumption is considered as a first approach. The injection of air is tangential. A hot gas channel reattachment model has been used to simulate the restriking process of the arc root. After the description of the model, the most appropriate electrical voltage breakdown parameter has been selected in comparing with experimental results. A typical operating point is then studied in detail and shows the helical shape of the arc discharge in the nozzle. Finally, the mass flow rate and the current have been varied in the range 0.16-0.5 g s-1 and 100-300 mA, respectively, corresponding to typical glidarc operating points of our experimental plasma torch. The model shows good consistency with experimental data in terms of global behaviour, arc length, mean voltage and glidarc frequency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to study the formation of ammonia during the regeneration step of a commercial lean NO xTrap catalyst in real conditions. Experiments were carried out on an engine test bench equipped with 2.2 L common rail diesel engine. The after-treatment system was composed of a commercial NSR monolith catalyst with a volume of 2.2 L. This material was composed of platinum, palladium and rhodium, as active components, with barium oxide and alumina as storage component and support, respectively. Catalytic measurements were carried out at 280 °C. Particular attention has been paid to formation of ammonia during the purge using hydrogen and CO as reducing agents. The time dependency of the extent of ammonia formation and the influence of hydrogen concentration were carefully examined. It was observed that the temperature rose in the first step of the regeneration process, after the switch in rich conditions, due to the occurrence of exothermic oxidation (H2/O2, CO/O2) accompanied with the releasing of available vacant noble metal sites which may provide a route for H2 and NO dissociation and/or subsequent surface reactions leading to the ultimate formation of ammonia. It was found that ammonia formation strongly depends on the purge duration and on the concentration of the reducing agent available during the purge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NO removal is studied in N[sub 2]/NO and in N[sub 2]/NO/C[sub 2]H[sub 4] mixtures through time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence in the afterglow of a pulsed homogeneous discharge. NO density measurements are compared with predictions of a 0D model on a large range of parameter values, such as the specific deposited energy and the ethene initial concentration. It is shown that dissociation of NO through collision with the N[sub 2](a[sup ′1]Σ[sub u][sup -]) state play the main part in the NO removal kinetic. Moreover, quenching of N[sub 2](a[sup ′1] Σ[sub u][sup -]) by C[sub 2]H[sub 4] leads to a drastic decrease of the NO removal efficiency when ethene is added to N[sub 2]/NO. The determined rate coefficient value for the quenching mechanism is (4±2)x10[sup -10] cm[sup 3] s[sup -1]. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]