Estimation of Ozone Generation in Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma using Response Surface Methodology and Fuzzy Logic

Ozone is being used in several applications such as oxidation of gaseous pollutants, wastewater treatment, surface disinfection, food processing etc. One of the popular means of producing ozone is by using electrical discharges. In this paper, ozone generation using non-thermal plasma is discussed, in the context of its use for diesel engine exhaust treatment. To achieve maximum oxidation of nitric oxide and other pollutants in the exhaust for varying engine loads, the ozone generation needs to be varied accordingly. As the parameters controlling ozone generation can have multiple combinations, finding the right set of parameters to achieve a specific ozone concentration requires several experimental trials. In such cases, the availability of a model that accurately predicts the concentration of ozone for a given set of parameters reduces the experimental burden of conducting such trials. With this objective, two mathematical models, Response Surface Methodology and Fuzzy Logic Model, have been explored as possible techniques for prediction of ozone concentration.