The continuing growth of the global economy and recognition that environmental quality is a worldwide concern have spurred the development of technologies targeted at improving efficiency while benefiting the environment. As a result of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA), the interim guidelines of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment recommending “Low NOx” technology (1), and similar efforts by other countries, efforts to improve air quality have strengthened dramatically. In particular, fuel burning sources have come under increased scrutiny with more stringent limitations for compounds such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HC). Internal combustion engines (ICE) for transportation and in stationary power generation produce over 90% of all NOx emissions and these sources have become the focal point of many emissions control regulations. A state of the art technology, plasma combustion control (INOX), has been developed in support of ICE to reduce emissions and improve efficiency with significant savings in capital and operating costs. This paper presents a detailed description of the plasma combustion technology and a summary of the performance test results to date. Also included is an overview of the regulatory strategies typically utilized in conjunction with the implementation of the INOX systems.

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