NOX production by impulse sparks in air

An experimental study on the production of NOX by impulse sparks in air is presented. The emphasis is placed on the dependence of the NOX yield on the signature of the discharge current waveforms. A voltage and two current impulses were used in the experiments to create a spark and the NOX production was measured by the method of chemiluminescence. The results show that, for a given current waveform, the NOX production varies linearly with the peak current and the gap length. In addition, it was found that the NOX yield increases with the duration of the current for a given peak current. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.