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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R11452/01
Title: Real Time Control For the Processing of Atmospheric Pressure Gas Streams Using Non-Thermal Plasmas
Principal Investigator: Whitehead, Professor JC
Other Investigators:
Gorry, Dr P
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Ricardo Group
Department: Chemistry
Organisation: University of Manchester, The
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 14 May 2001 Ends: 13 May 2004 Value (£): 205,933
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Control Engineering Design of Process systems
Plasmas - Technological
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Chemicals Environment
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
It is proposed to develop and demonstrate computer-based methods utilising feedback control for the automatic operation of non-thermal atmospheric plasma for the remediation of polluted gas streams. Particular attention will be paid to the removal of Nox from gas streams typical of power station or vehicle exhausts and of volatile organic compounds (including methane and chlorinated solvents) from manufacturing and processing waste exhausts. The plasma methods to be investigated will primarily include corona and dielectric barrier discharges. The efficiency of the processing will be monitored in real-time using fast FTIR (infrared spectroscopy) to determine the composition of the processed gas stream in terms of destruction of the pollutants and production of end-products simultaneously. Using PID, neural networks and fuzzy logic control algorithms and an industry standard, control software package, these measurements will be used for the automatic and real-time optimisation of the plasma processing optimised for variations in the input gas. An existing computer model of the plasma (electrical and chemical) will be extended and validated by comparison with experiment to produce a design tool for optimisation of the control algorithms.
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Organisation Website: http://www.man.ac.uk