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Applications and Optical Characterization of Plasma Chemical Processes
Applications and Optical Characterization of Plasma Chemical Processes
상세정보
- 자료유형
- 학위논문 서양
- 최종처리일시
- 20260311091538.5
- ISBN
- 9798270231958
- DDC
- 541
- 서명/저자
- Applications and Optical Characterization of Plasma Chemical Processes / Charan Reddy Nallapareddy
- 발행사항
- [Sl] : The University of Texas at Austin, 2025
- 형태사항
- 1 electronic resource (229 pages)
- 주기사항
- Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-06, Section: B.
- 주기사항
- Advisors: Underwood, Thomas C. Committee members: Mullins, Charles B.; Clemens, Noel; Raja, Laxminarayan L.
- 학위논문주기
- - Ph.D. : The University of Texas at Austin, 2025.
- 초록/해제
- 요약Reactive plasmas, with their unique non-equilibrium energy distribution, offer transformative potential for chemical processes-from converting greenhouse gases into fuels to enabling energy-efficient synthesis of critical chemicals. However, their complexity, arising from multiscale interactions between electromagnetic fields, charged particles, and neutrals, demands advanced diagnostic tools and tailored excitation schemes to unlock their full potential. This thesis develops and applies novel optical diagnostics to probe reactive plasmas at fundamental timescales while designing excitation strategies to optimize chemical conversion. The vision is twofold: (1) resolve the multiscale physics governing plasma-chemical processes, and (2) leverage this understanding to overcome longstanding limitations in industrial chemistry, such as the selectivity-conversion tradeoff in methane-to-methanol conversion. By bridging plasma physics and chemical engineering, this work aims to advance scalable, electrified pathways for sustainable fuel and chemical production.This research integrates experimental diagnostics, kinetic modeling, and reactor design to dissect the interplay between plasma properties and chemical outcomes. A central theme is the development of supercontinuum-enhanced terahertz spectroscopy (SETS) , a single-shot diagnostic tool capable of resolving electron density and collision dynamics in reactive plasmas with sub-nanosecond resolution. Concurrently, the thesis explores vibrational excitation pathways in methane oxidation, employing nanosecond-pulsed plasmas to selectively activate reactants while suppressing undesired byproducts. The approach combines first-principles analysis of electron energy distributions, time-resolved optical spectroscopy, and reactor-scale kinetic modeling to link microscale plasma physics to macroscale chemical yields.Central to the study are the physics of non-equilibrium plasmas, including vibrational-translational relaxation dynamics, electron energy distribution functions (EEDFs), plasma bistability, and timescale decoupling. These insights reveal how controlled energy deposition into specific molecular modes (e.g., methane's vibrational states) bypasses thermodynamic limitations of thermal processes. Applications demonstrate breaking the selectivity-conversion limit in methane-to-methanol synthesis, achieving a record 21.4% yield at near-ambient conditions-a 200% improvement over existing methods. Additionally, a standardized efficiency framework is proposed to unify performance metrics across plasma processes (e.g., CO2 splitting, ammonia synthesis), addressing inconsistencies in literature. SETS enables real-time monitoring of electron density (1016-1017 m-3 ) and collision frequencies in industrial reactors, critical for optimization.This thesis is divided into five chapters, each addressing the probing or application of reactive plasmas:1. Chapter 1: Tailoring Vibrational Excitation Pathways for High-Yield Oxidation of Methane to MethanolDevelops a nanosecond-pulsed plasma reactor to vibrationally excite methane, minimizing radical-mediated byproducts. Active methanol removal via cold traps achieves scalable yields. By operating at low reduced electric fields (~10 Td), methane is activated via vibrational modes (ν2, ν4) rather than dissociation, minimizing radical-mediated byproducts. Active removal of methanol via a cold-water trap breaks the selectivity-conversion limit, achieving 21.4% yield-the highest reported for single-step plasma-driven processes. Kinetic models and OES validate the dominance of methoxy radical (CH₃O) pathways over methyl radical (CH₃) cascades.2. Chapter 2: What is "Efficiency" in Plasma Chemical Processes?Proposed a standardized efficiency framework to address inconsistent reporting in plasma chemistry. Three metrics-Conversion efficiency, production efficiency, and faradaic efficiency-are defined for endothermic, exothermic, and electrochemical processes. The framework is applied to benchmark CO₂ splitting, methane reforming, and ammonia synthesis, revealing critical tradeoffs between energy input and selectivity.3. Chapter 3: Characterization and Control of Signal Distortion in Chirped Pulse Single-Shot DetectionIntroduces measurement principles of ultrafast diagnostics like terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system. A distortion factor (β) quantifies signal fidelity in single-shot measurements, showing that supercontinuum probes (β 1) outperform chirped pulses (β 1) in temporal-Fraunhofer regimes. The technique resolves plasma electron densities with ±5% uncertainty, enabling real-time monitoring of transient discharges.4. Chapter 4: Quantitative Single-Shot Supercontinuum-Enhanced Terahertz Spectroscopy (SETS)Introduces SETS for quantitative plasma diagnostics, demonstrating its ability to extract collision frequencies (νₑₙ ~1012 s-1 ) and electron densities (nₑ ~1017 m-3 ) in inductively coupled plasmas. The system's broad bandwidth (Δω 4 THz) captures rotational transitions of H2O and OH radicals, enabling in situ speciation of reactive intermediates.5. Chapter 5: probing hysteresis and bifurcation dynamics in RF plasmasExplores bistability in reactive plasmas, linking mode transitions (E→H→E) to electron density thresholds. SETS captures sub-millisecond transients during bistable switching, revealing the role of metastable argon in sustaining discharge modes. A global power-balance model predicts hysteresis boundaries, validated experimentally across pressure (100-1000 mTorr) and power (10-200 W) ranges.
- 언어주기
- English
- 일반주제명
- Electromagnetics
- 일반주제명
- Analytical chemistry
- 일반주제명
- Plasma physics
- 키워드
- Reactive plasmas
- 키워드
- Plasma chemistry
- 기타저자
- The University of Texas at Austin Aerospace Engineering
- 기본자료저록
- Dissertations Abstracts International. 87-06B.
- 전자적 위치 및 접속
- 로그인 후 원문을 볼 수 있습니다.
MARC
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■040 ▼aMiAaPQD▼beng▼cMiAaPQD▼erda
■082 ▼a541
■1001 ▼aNallapareddy, Charan Reddy▼eauthor.
■24510▼aApplications and Optical Characterization of Plasma Chemical Processes ▼cCharan Reddy Nallapareddy
■260 ▼a[Sl]▼bThe University of Texas at Austin▼c2025
■264 1▼aAnn Arbor▼bProQuest Dissertations & Theses▼c2025
■300 ▼a1 electronic resource (229 pages)
■336 ▼atext▼btxt▼2rdacontent
■337 ▼acomputer▼bc▼2rdamedia
■338 ▼aonline resource▼bcr▼2rdacarrier
■500 ▼aSource: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-06, Section: B.
■500 ▼aAdvisors: Underwood, Thomas C. Committee members: Mullins, Charles B.; Clemens, Noel; Raja, Laxminarayan L.
■5021 ▼bPh.D.▼cThe University of Texas at Austin▼d2025.
■520 ▼aReactive plasmas, with their unique non-equilibrium energy distribution, offer transformative potential for chemical processes-from converting greenhouse gases into fuels to enabling energy-efficient synthesis of critical chemicals. However, their complexity, arising from multiscale interactions between electromagnetic fields, charged particles, and neutrals, demands advanced diagnostic tools and tailored excitation schemes to unlock their full potential. This thesis develops and applies novel optical diagnostics to probe reactive plasmas at fundamental timescales while designing excitation strategies to optimize chemical conversion. The vision is twofold: (1) resolve the multiscale physics governing plasma-chemical processes, and (2) leverage this understanding to overcome longstanding limitations in industrial chemistry, such as the selectivity-conversion tradeoff in methane-to-methanol conversion. By bridging plasma physics and chemical engineering, this work aims to advance scalable, electrified pathways for sustainable fuel and chemical production.This research integrates experimental diagnostics, kinetic modeling, and reactor design to dissect the interplay between plasma properties and chemical outcomes. A central theme is the development of supercontinuum-enhanced terahertz spectroscopy (SETS) , a single-shot diagnostic tool capable of resolving electron density and collision dynamics in reactive plasmas with sub-nanosecond resolution. Concurrently, the thesis explores vibrational excitation pathways in methane oxidation, employing nanosecond-pulsed plasmas to selectively activate reactants while suppressing undesired byproducts. The approach combines first-principles analysis of electron energy distributions, time-resolved optical spectroscopy, and reactor-scale kinetic modeling to link microscale plasma physics to macroscale chemical yields.Central to the study are the physics of non-equilibrium plasmas, including vibrational-translational relaxation dynamics, electron energy distribution functions (EEDFs), plasma bistability, and timescale decoupling. These insights reveal how controlled energy deposition into specific molecular modes (e.g., methane's vibrational states) bypasses thermodynamic limitations of thermal processes. Applications demonstrate breaking the selectivity-conversion limit in methane-to-methanol synthesis, achieving a record 21.4% yield at near-ambient conditions-a 200% improvement over existing methods. Additionally, a standardized efficiency framework is proposed to unify performance metrics across plasma processes (e.g., CO2 splitting, ammonia synthesis), addressing inconsistencies in literature. SETS enables real-time monitoring of electron density (1016-1017 m-3 ) and collision frequencies in industrial reactors, critical for optimization.This thesis is divided into five chapters, each addressing the probing or application of reactive plasmas:1. Chapter 1: Tailoring Vibrational Excitation Pathways for High-Yield Oxidation of Methane to MethanolDevelops a nanosecond-pulsed plasma reactor to vibrationally excite methane, minimizing radical-mediated byproducts. Active methanol removal via cold traps achieves scalable yields. By operating at low reduced electric fields (~10 Td), methane is activated via vibrational modes (ν2, ν4) rather than dissociation, minimizing radical-mediated byproducts. Active removal of methanol via a cold-water trap breaks the selectivity-conversion limit, achieving 21.4% yield-the highest reported for single-step plasma-driven processes. Kinetic models and OES validate the dominance of methoxy radical (CH₃O) pathways over methyl radical (CH₃) cascades.2. Chapter 2: What is "Efficiency" in Plasma Chemical Processes?Proposed a standardized efficiency framework to address inconsistent reporting in plasma chemistry. Three metrics-Conversion efficiency, production efficiency, and faradaic efficiency-are defined for endothermic, exothermic, and electrochemical processes. The framework is applied to benchmark CO₂ splitting, methane reforming, and ammonia synthesis, revealing critical tradeoffs between energy input and selectivity.3. Chapter 3: Characterization and Control of Signal Distortion in Chirped Pulse Single-Shot DetectionIntroduces measurement principles of ultrafast diagnostics like terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system. A distortion factor (β) quantifies signal fidelity in single-shot measurements, showing that supercontinuum probes (β 1) outperform chirped pulses (β 1) in temporal-Fraunhofer regimes. The technique resolves plasma electron densities with ±5% uncertainty, enabling real-time monitoring of transient discharges.4. Chapter 4: Quantitative Single-Shot Supercontinuum-Enhanced Terahertz Spectroscopy (SETS)Introduces SETS for quantitative plasma diagnostics, demonstrating its ability to extract collision frequencies (νₑₙ ~1012 s-1 ) and electron densities (nₑ ~1017 m-3 ) in inductively coupled plasmas. The system's broad bandwidth (Δω 4 THz) captures rotational transitions of H2O and OH radicals, enabling in situ speciation of reactive intermediates.5. Chapter 5: probing hysteresis and bifurcation dynamics in RF plasmasExplores bistability in reactive plasmas, linking mode transitions (E→H→E) to electron density thresholds. SETS captures sub-millisecond transients during bistable switching, revealing the role of metastable argon in sustaining discharge modes. A global power-balance model predicts hysteresis boundaries, validated experimentally across pressure (100-1000 mTorr) and power (10-200 W) ranges.
■546 ▼aEnglish
■590 ▼aSchool code: 0227
■650 4▼aElectromagnetics
■650 4▼aAnalytical chemistry
■650 4▼aPlasma physics
■653 ▼aReactive plasmas
■653 ▼aOptical diagnostics
■653 ▼aCollision dynamics
■653 ▼aEnergy deposition
■653 ▼aPlasma chemistry
■7102 ▼aThe University of Texas at Austin▼bAerospace Engineering.▼edegree granting institution.
■7201 ▼aUnderwood, Thomas C.▼edegree supervisor.
■7730 ▼tDissertations Abstracts International▼g87-06B.
■85640▼uhttp://www.riss.kr/pdu/ddodLink.do?id=T17361214▼nKERIS▼z이 자료의 원문은 한국교육학술정보원에서 제공합니다.


