Generation of microwave-induced plasmas in automotive exhaust gas mixtures using pulsed microwave energy.

Microwave energy at 2.45 GHz was applied to a mixture of exhaust gases from a petrol engine at atmospheric pressure. It was found that by pulsing the microwave energy with a 50% duty cycle, the average power required to sustain a microwave-induced plasma discharge was decreased by about 40%. The ratio of absorbed to incident power was unaffected. These findings were confirmed for pulse frequencies from 10 to 300 Hz.