Inventor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Hamid Hafiz Merbat/Department of physics, College of science for women, University of Baghdad
Abstract
In this study, the system of plasma needle has been designed and invented. This system works on producing the non-thermal plasma at normal atmospheric pressure, it has been applied to two types of bacteria for patients with burns and wounds to accelerate the healing process and to kill bacteria caused by burns and wounds to humans. The system used high power source (power supply) and is a high power source with a peak voltage (30 kV) for a constant frequency range (50Hz), where the basic of this provider depends on the (Ignition Coil). The plasma needle has been manufactured from PYREX glass with a single internal electrode made of stainless steel diameter (3mm), the gas used is argon and the flow of this gas in the system was (1-5 l/min.). The electrical and thermal characteristics of the non-thermal plasma needle system have been studied. Electrical and thermal properties are very important in the role of the system through which we can use and develop the system in the technology of medical use or in accelerating the healing of wounds and burns, where electrical properties have been studied through the (current – voltage) curve, the behavior of this curve has been shown to what extent that happened in the breakdown voltage, very low values were obtained for the electric current (a few microns), where the results of the values of the electric current increase slightly increase with the increase in voltages, as appropriate and possible to use and develop this manufactured system to used in medical use. As well as thermal properties studied by studying the effect of both flow velocity, applied voltages and a distance between the bacteria isolate and the tip of the needle. It was found that the temperature of the gas (the temperature of plasma needle tip) increased by increasing both the velocity of the gas flow, and the applied voltage, as well as decrease with increasing distance between the bacteria isolate and needle tip, a temperature of (43°C) was obtained for the non-thermal plasma needle at the highest flow of gas (5l/min) the voltage were used (8 kV). Also, temperatures were recorded equal to room temperature and started to rise gradually with increasing the flow of gas, where the temperature of gas can be shown the possibility of using the system to treat burns and wounds on the surface of the skin so as not to cause any damage or adverse consequences. As well as it studied effect both of gas flow velocity and applied voltage on the long generated plasma beam. The practical results have shown that the length of the generated plasma is increased by increasing the flow rate of gas and voltage. As well as it studied the effect of non-thermal plasma on two types of bacteria gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) was exposed to non-thermal plasma at variable voltages (4.9-8 kV) and flow velocity (1-5 l/min) at variable times. The results showed that gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) were more resistant to non-thermal plasma during the treatment. The total kill time was (6 min) at the second voltage (8) kV and the gas flow velocity (5 l/min) when the distance (2cm) between the bacteria isolate and plasma tip, unlike the gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) that were killed in (5min), Through it is clear that the killing of the bacteria is directly proportional to increase in the applied voltage, gas flow velocity and increase the treatment time. The bacterial killing process is inversely proportional to the distance between the bacteria isolated and the tip of the non-thermal plasma needle.