Sterilization efficacy of a coaxial microwave plasma flow at atmospheric pressure

A coaxial cable for microwave transmission type of atmospheric low-temperature plasma source was developed. The plasma source has the advantages of portability, simple configuration, and ability to operate with a wide range of gases and mixtures of such gases. It mainly consists of a cavity, a quartz discharge tube, a coaxial cable, a microwave power source, and a gas supply system. Using this plasma source, the authors tried to clarify its sterilization efficacy against Geobacillus stearothermophilus. A log reduction number of G. stearothermophilus of at least 5 (10/sup -5/) was obtained under the following operating conditions: gas flow rate of argon of 14 SL/min, input power is 400 W, and substrate surface temperature of 353 K. Distributions of temperature and velocities of gas were also measured two-dimensionally by using an E-type thermocouple and a Pitot tube, respectively. The temperature distributions and the peak value of temperature were found to be influenced by the gas flow rate and the kinds of gas mixtures.