Figure of Merit for Measuring Energy Efficiency in DBD Systems

Dielectric Barrier Discharges (DBDs) are energy conversion systems that employs electrical energy to modify chemical properties of matter, making them widely applicable in fields such as surface treatment, medicine, pollution control, among others. The energy needed to activate a DBD is typically supplied by a power source, with configurations tailored to the specific application and DBD load characteristics. Consequently, the literature includes a diverse range of topologies, configurations, operating principles, and methods suited to these systems. This article proposes a figure of merit (FoM) as a metric for evaluating topologies, helping readers in a first step for selecting converter topologies for their specific DBD application.