Entry requirements

120 credits in science/engineering.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• describe principles of plasma processes at low and high gas pressures,
• explain non-equilibrium high-pressure plasma chemical reactions and their products under interactions with gases, liquids and solid state objects,
• identify existing and potential technology applications of thermal and non-thermal atmospheric plasma,
• design simple systems for generation of non-equilibrium atmospheric plasma,
• evaluate different plasma technologies and their possible byproducts.

Content

Basic differences between gas discharge plasmas at low and high gas pressures. Generation and characteristic properties of the atmospheric plasma. Thermal and non-thermal atmospheric plasma sources. Types of plasma arcs, cascaded arcs, negative and positive corona discharges, dielectric barrier discharges, high frequency discharges, hollow cathodes. Plasma at very high gas pressures. Plasma-assisted combustion. Submersible plasmas. Typical applications of thermal and non-thermal atmospheric plasmas. Radical plasma chemistry. Plasma-assisted fuel reforming processes, production of hydrogen from biomass. Plasma catalysis. Fundamentals of plasma medicine.

Instruction

Lectures and project seminars.

Assessment

Compulsory assignments and short tests during the course, and written and oral presentation of project work at the end of the course.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.