Improving the Power Efficiency of a Microwave Plasma Source by Using the Principle of a Variable-Impedance Waveguide

Thosdeekoraphat, Thanaset; Kotchapradit, Supawat; Bunpradit, Watcharapong; Boonpeang, Worawut; Thongsopa, Chanchai; Santalunai, Samran

doi:10.3390/en17122996

Open AccessArticle

Improving the Power Efficiency of a Microwave Plasma Source by Using the Principle of a Variable-Impedance Waveguide

by

Thanaset Thosdeekoraphat

^*

,

Supawat Kotchapradit

,

Watcharapong Bunpradit

^*,

Worawut Boonpeang

,

Chanchai Thongsopa

and

Samran Santalunai

School of Electronic Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Energies 2024, 17(12), 2996; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17122996

Submission received: 22 April 2024 / Revised: 21 May 2024 / Accepted: 24 May 2024 / Published: 18 June 2024

(This article belongs to the Section B: Energy and Environment)

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Abstract

Microwave plasma sources are used in various applications, but inefficiency can limit their usefulness. Researchers have investigated a new approach with which to improve efficiency by using a waveguide with a special tuner. A standard waveguide was compared to one equipped with a stub tuner, which allows for the fine-tuning of the electrical properties. The experiment used a frequency of 2.45 GHz and tested input powers of 1 kW and 1.5 kW. Experiments showed that waveguides with tuners transferred power more efficiently, with fewer reflected and more transmitted microwaves. While peak temperatures remained similar, the tuned waveguide produced a hotter plasma flame (30–60 °C) at the same distance. Notably, increasing the input power further boosted the flame temperature by 300 °C. These findings suggest that stub tuners can significantly improve the efficiency of microwave plasma sources. This paves the way for more efficient plasma generation technologies and potentially allows for applications requiring even higher power.

Keywords: microwave plasma source; variable waveguide; stub tuners

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MDPI and ACS Style

Thosdeekoraphat, T.; Kotchapradit, S.; Bunpradit, W.; Boonpeang, W.; Thongsopa, C.; Santalunai, S. Improving the Power Efficiency of a Microwave Plasma Source by Using the Principle of a Variable-Impedance Waveguide. Energies 2024, 17, 2996. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17122996

AMA Style

Thosdeekoraphat T, Kotchapradit S, Bunpradit W, Boonpeang W, Thongsopa C, Santalunai S. Improving the Power Efficiency of a Microwave Plasma Source by Using the Principle of a Variable-Impedance Waveguide. Energies. 2024; 17(12):2996. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17122996

Chicago/Turabian Style

Thosdeekoraphat, Thanaset, Supawat Kotchapradit, Watcharapong Bunpradit, Worawut Boonpeang, Chanchai Thongsopa, and Samran Santalunai. 2024. "Improving the Power Efficiency of a Microwave Plasma Source by Using the Principle of a Variable-Impedance Waveguide" Energies 17, no. 12: 2996. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17122996

APA Style

Thosdeekoraphat, T., Kotchapradit, S., Bunpradit, W., Boonpeang, W., Thongsopa, C., & Santalunai, S. (2024). Improving the Power Efficiency of a Microwave Plasma Source by Using the Principle of a Variable-Impedance Waveguide. Energies, 17(12), 2996. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17122996

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Improving the Power Efficiency of a Microwave Plasma Source by Using the Principle of a Variable-Impedance Waveguide

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