Comparative Studies on Soot Oxidation by Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone

Non-thermal plasma technology has many applications in various areas. One of the applications is regenerating diesel particulate filter (DPF). DPF is a widely applied device to control the particulate emission of diesel engines. But it needs periodic removal of clogged soot for the smooth running of engine. Conventional high-temperature removal processes easily leads to the breakage of DPF. Herein, low-temperature plasma formed in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor was used to form active oxidants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Experimentally, the effects of discharge power and frequency on the performance of DBD reactor were studied. Two oxidants, $O_3$ and $NO_2$, were synthesized and used for incinerating soot in the used DPF. Performances of the two oxidants on the reduction of soot were compared, and it was found that $NO_2$ is more effective than $O_3$ for getting rid of soot