Transient Plasma Emission Remediation Reactor for Cold Exhaust
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Solution Overview
Problem
Open-underfire broilers in restaurants emit significant amounts of unregulated particulate matter, odor, and grease, which current high temperature catalyst systems cannot effectively address due to the cold exhaust temperature by the time it reaches the hood.
Innovation Solution
A system employing a Transient Plasma Emission Remediation (TPER) reactor that treats emissions streams with non-equilibrated transient plasma generated by high voltage nanosecond pulses, supplemented with a bias voltage, to reduce smoke, particulate matter, odor, and grease in cooking emissions and internal combustion engine emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If high temperature catalysts are used to treat emissions, then particulate matter removal is effective, but the system cannot be applied to cold exhaust streams from open-underfire broilers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameter from thermal (high temperature catalysts requiring hot exhaust) to electrical (nanosecond pulsed plasma operating at ambient temperature). The plasma reactor uses high voltage electrical pulses to generate reactive species that break down particulate matter and odor compounds without requiring thermal energy, enabling effective treatment of cold exhaust streams from open-underfire broilers while maintaining high removal efficiency for particulate matter and odor.
2Ease of operation
If conventional ventilation systems are used to handle emissions, then airflow is maintained, but power requirements are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical ventilation approach (using high power fans to force airflow through filters) with a plasma-based chemical treatment system. The nanosecond pulsed plasma reactor chemically transforms emissions in the airflow path without requiring high mechanical power for air movement. This substitution reduces ventilation power requirements while maintaining effective emission treatment.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If high voltage nanosecond pulses are applied to treat emissions, then particulate matter and odor are significantly reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic nanosecond pulsed electrical discharges instead of continuous plasma generation. The pulsed operation (typically at frequencies from Hz to kHz) allows the system to achieve effective emission treatment during brief plasma bursts, then dissipate energy and reset. This periodic action reduces average power consumption and simplifies thermal management compared to continuous plasma, while maintaining high peak power effectiveness for breaking down particulate matter and odor compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamically controllable nanosecond pulses with adjustable parameters including voltage amplitude, pulse width, frequency, and duty cycle. This dynamic control allows optimization of plasma generation efficiency and adaptation to varying emission conditions, simplifying the overall system design by enabling a single reactor configuration to handle diverse emission loads effectively.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system significantly reduces particulate matter and odor emissions by breaking down oil-based particles, achieving a more than three-order-of-magnitude reduction in particulates and improving airflow efficiency, thus lowering power requirements for ventilation systems.
Implementation Method 1
treating the emissions stream as it flows through an exhaust system and into a Transient Plasma Emission Remediation (TPER) Reactor, where it is treated with a non-equilibrated transient plasma that is generated by high voltage electrical pulses
Implementation Method 2
The bias voltage may also be used to produce a static electric field that behaves like an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and serves to precipitate particulate matter out of the gas flow
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and system to treat emissions (e.g., smoke, particulate, odor, grease) employs a nanosecond high voltage pulse generator, a transient pulsed plasma reactor, and a DC voltage source that supplies a DC bias voltage, preferably a negative DC bias voltage to a conductor of the transient pulsed plasma reactor. The system is used in a scheme that substantially reduces at least particulate matter in emissions streams, for example emissions streams produced during cooking, for instance in commercial charbroiling processes (e.g., cooking of hamburger meat), or from operation of internal combustion engines. Both a reduction in the size distribution and total particulate mass is achieved using the method and system described herein.