PFI-TT: Plasma-based Pollution Remediation Device for the Removal of Diesel Soot

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to develop a new technology for remediating particulate matter (PM) produced by diesel engines, which represents a carcinogenic pollutant consisting of ultrafine, nanoscale, carbonaceous particles. These particulates have been linked to premature cardiovascular and respiratory deaths in metropolitan areas, as well as lung cancer.

This project will reduce harmful emissions from large diesel engines (>600 kW), many of which currently have no pollution remediation devices. These diesel engines are largely unregulated because no viable technology currently exists for treating the exhaust from engines of this size. The current energy/transportation infrastructure depends heavily on these large diesel engines.

This integrated Electrostatic Precipitator/Diesel Particulate Filter (ESP/DPF) system aims to reduce particulate matter (i.e., PM or soot) emissions across several sectors (including stationary diesel generators, construction, agriculture, mining heavy machinery, and locomotives) and will enable cleaner air in communities located near railways and mining sites. This project will involve summer undergraduate students from Citrus College, which is a minority serving institution.

The project will develop a novel device representing the first Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) integrated with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) in this fashion. In the plasma-enhanced (PE)-ESP, the nanosecond high voltage pulse plasma discharge gives rise to a six order of magnitude increase in the ion density compared to that of conventional electrostatic precipitators, resulting in increased charge-per-particle and hydrodynamic effects (i.e., ionic winds), which further improve the ESP process, enabling significantly smaller ESP designs than were previously possible.

The industry partner, Rypos, has developed a highly porous, stainless steel material that represents a key innovative component of the research. The stainless steel is electrically conducting while also able to trap nanoscale diesel particulates. The configuration and detailed microstructure of this material will open up new degrees of freedom in the design of the integrated ESP/DPF system.

In addition, an improved computational model will be developed (including hydrodynamic effects and the transient nature of the plasma) that will play an important role in interpreting experimental data and guiding in the design of the integrated ESP/DPF system.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.