An energy conversion cell for converting electric power into heat. The cell includes a non-conductive housing formed of spaced, preferably glass outer plates sealed along common perimeters thereof to define a closed interior volume or chamber. At least two catalytic plates are held spaced apart in the interior volume, preferably separated by a dielectric plate. The catalytic plates are preferably formed of very thin palladium plate material. A gas passage in gas communication with the interior v...

A substrate processing apparatus has a process chamber and an effluent treatment reactor. The process chamber has a substrate support, a process gas supply, a gas energizer, and an exhaust conduit. The effluent treatment reactor has an effluent inlet to receive effluent from the exhaust conduit of the process chamber, a plasma cell having one or more electrodes electrically connected to a voltage source adapted to electrically bias the electrodes to couple energy to effluent received in the plas...

A non-thermal plasma reactor and method provides individually retained reactor plates. The method comprises stacking an alternating sequence of positive and negative reactor plates to form a reactor stack, placing temporary spacers between the positive and negative reactor plates. In one embodiment, individually retained reactor plates are secured by folds of a ceramic insulating layer extending between plate pairs, with reactor plates secured by the stack retention material and the folds of the...

A modular corona discharge reactor in which individual reactor chambers are arranged vertically and are grouped in serial pairs.

The present invention is a method and apparatus for altering a carbon-containing compound in an aqueous mixture. According to a first aspect of the present invention, it has been discovered that for an aqueous mixture having a carbon containing compound with an ozone reaction rate less than the ozone reaction rate of pentachlorophenol, use of corona discharge in a low or non-oxidizing atmosphere increases the rate of destruction of the carbon containing compound compared to corona discharge an o...

A reactor for the plasma processing of gaseous media, especially internal combustion engine exhaust, has a bed made of a body of ceramic material and electrodes. At least one electrode terminates within the bed at a distance from earthed supporting structure to avoid or reduce the risk of tracking or arcing between the electrode and the supporting structure.

An improved non-thermal plasma treatment method and apparatus for the pretreatment of nitric oxide-bearing exhaust gas with ethanol, either by vapor absorption or direct vapor injection, is described. Advantageously, the high vapor pressure of ethanol permits a significant portion of the ethanol to be absorbed. Moreover, the solubility of ethanol permits the ethanol to be readily scrubbed from the exhaust gas, along with the nitrogen dioxides converted from the nitric oxides. The non-thermal pla...

A corona discharge reactor is for use in processing materials in or carried by a gaseous phase. A plurality of cylindrical individual reactor chambers is provided in an array. The reactor chambers are electrically matched with each other and pulses of electrical energy are supplied under sequential control to each of the individual reactor chambers.

A thermal decomposition furnace for exhaust gas to thermally decompose harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas to render them harmless. The thermal decomposition furnace includes a heating chamber for heating the exhaust gas; an inlet port for introducing the exhaust gas into the heating chamber; at least one pair of electrodes provided within the heating chamber; a plurality of light emitting heaters which contain carbon as a main ingredient; and an outlet port for discharging the therm...

A reactor for the plasma-assisted processing of gaseous media comprising a reactor chamber including a gas permeable bed of active material, a power source for applying across the bed of active material a potential sufficient to establish a plasma in a gaseous medium flowing through the bed of active material and a chamber having an inlet stub and an outlet stub for constraining the gaseous medium to flow through the bed of active material, wherein the bed of active material comprises a matrix o...