Design and Characterization of an Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor for Potential Air Disinfection Applications

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) technology is increasingly applied for disinfection purposes, primarily for surfaces and materials. However, its use in air disinfection is still relatively underexplored, with limited studies focusing on reactor optimization. This paper presents the design and characterization of a laboratory-scale DBD reactor, named Grid-like Air Plasma Sanitizer (GAPS), optimized for air treatment. The reactor features two grid-shaped electrodes positioned within a sealed container designed to create a serpentine channel for the airflow, enhancing the contact surface between treated air and produced discharge. The reactor is powered by a custom-designed power supply, based on a multilevel inverter architecture, for a total bipolar output of ±1.2kV. The power supply generates a high-voltage square waveform with a peak of ±1.2kV, a period of 8 µs and a rise time of 6kV/µs , promoting the formation of a strong non-equilibrium plasma for microbial inactivation. Electrical performance is characterized using both the Lissajous diagram and the equivalent circuit method, giving results in good agreement with eachothers. Furthermore, electrostatic FEMM simulations show details on the electric field intensity distribution and reactor capacitance. The GAPS produces a uniform and homogeneous plasma discharge under an air flow rate of 12.5LPM, without a significant increase in the reactor temperature, and a low specific power consumption of 0.014W/cm2. These results show promising potential for the GAPS and lay the groundwork for future research, including biological experiments to assess its efficacy in air disinfection applications.