A liquid treatment apparatus includes a flow channel, first and second electrodes at least part of each of which is disposed within the flow channel, an insulator, a gas supply device, and a power supply source that applies a voltage between the first and second electrodes and generates plasma. The insulator has a tubular shape and an opening on an end surface of the insulator, and surrounds a lateral surface of the first electrode with a space interposed between the insulator and the first electrode. The gas supply device supplies and ejects a gas into the liquid via the opening. At least part of the flow channel extends in a first direction which is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction so that the liquid flows obliquely upward with respect to the horizontal direction. The opening is positioned within the at least part of the flow channel.

The present disclosure describes a new type of selective nitrophobic surface membrane in a plasma actuator that separates oxygen from nitrogen in the atmosphere, thereby increasing the presence of oxygen near an exposed electrode of the plasma actuator. Accordingly, the plasma flow created in the presence of oxygen at the exposed electrode generates more force than plasma flow created in the presence of nitrogen.

A system for determining an operational state of an atmospheric pressure plasma. The system has a transformer for coupling power into the atmospheric pressure plasma, a current sampling circuit configured to sample at least one current pulse flowing through a primary winding of the transformer, and a programmed microprocessor configured to determine, from a waveform of the current pulse, the operational state of the atmospheric pressure plasma. The operational state is one of: a no plasma state, a plasma origination state indicative of an ignited arc expanding into a plasma by gas flow thereinto, and a plasma maintenance state indicative of the plasma being expanded.

With an atmospheric pressure plasma generating device of the present invention, nozzle block 36 in which fourth gas passages 66 from which plasma gas is emitted are formed, is covered by cover 22, and through-hole 70 is formed in the cover such that the leading end of the fourth gas passage is positioned on the inside. Heated gas is supplied inside the cover. Thus, heated gas is emitted from the through-hole of the cover, and plasma gas is emitted so as to penetrate the heated gas. By the plasma gas being surrounded by the heated gas in this manner, deactivation of the plasma gas is prevented. Also, distance X between the leading end of the fourth gas passage and an opening of the through-hole at an outer wall of the cover is set from 0 to 2 mm in an emission direction of the plasma gas. By this, it is possible to appropriately cover plasma gas with heated gas without obstructing the flow of the plasma gas.

A method and apparatus for electro-hydrodynamic destruction of an aerosol. The method includes receiving air having large aerosols, greater than about 1 micron, and small aerosols, smaller than about 1 micron, and entraining the large aerosols and small aerosols within an airflow. The airflow is directed to an electric field, which causes the large aerosols to react with the electric field to accumulate an electric charge resulting in extraction of the large aerosols from the airflow. The airflow is also directed to a non-thermal plasma such that the small aerosols remain entrained in the airflow and are subject to electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) phenomena. The non-thermal plasma outputs at least one of radicals, excited species, and ionized atoms and molecules capable of reacting with the small aerosols to result in physical and/or chemical destruction of the small aerosols.

In an embodiment a device includes a first housing in which a piezoelectric transformer is arranged and a second housing in which a control circuit is arranged, the control circuit configured to apply an input voltage to the piezoelectric transformer, wherein the piezoelectric transformer is configured to ionize a process medium, and wherein the device is configured to provide a circulating air operation so that the process medium is guided from the piezoelectric transformer through a catalytic converter and then back to the piezoelectric transformer and generate a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma.

This disclosure relates to methods and devices for generating electron dense air plasmas at atmospheric pressures. In particular, this disclosure relate to self-contained toroidal air plasmas. Methods and apparatuses have been developed for generating atmospheric toroidal air plasmas. The air plasmas are self-confining, can be projected, and do not require additional support equipment once formed.

The present invention relates to a hollow cathode plasma source and to methods for surface treating or coating using such a plasma source, comprising first and second electrodes (1, 2), each electrode comprising an elongated cavity (4), wherein dimensions for at least one of the following parameters is selected so as to ensure high electron density and/or low amount of sputtering of plasma source cavity surfaces, those parameters being cavity cross section shape, cavity cross section area cavity distance (11), and outlet nozzle width (12).

Electrosurgical apparatuses having bent tip applicators are provided. In one implementation, an electrosurgical apparatus includes an insulating outer tube having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end. An outer tube distal housing has its proximal end coupled to the distal end of the insulating outer tube. A distal end of the outer tube distal housing extends from the insulating outer tube at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis. The exemplary electrosurgical apparatus further includes an electrically conducting tube disposed within the insulating outer tube and moveable along the longitudinal axis of the insulating outer tube. An electrode is coupled to a distal end of the electrically conducting tube. The exemplary electrosurgical apparatus may include a knob coupled to the insulating outer tube to effect rotation of the outer tube distal housing in 360 degrees of rotation.

Disclosed is a control circuit of an atmospheric plasma generating device, comprising: a power supply suppling power to the control circuit, a switching element, a first set of resistors, a second set of resistors, a set of Zener diodes, a set of transistors electrically coupled to the switching element, the set of Zener diodes, the first set of resistors and the second set of resistors. The control circuit further includes a capacitor, an inductor, and a set of diodes electrically coupled to the first set of resistors or the second set of resistors.