Hydrogen Production from Methane Through Pulsed DC Plasma

A non-equilibrium warm plasma reactor has been constructed for methane reforming and hydrogen production. The discharge reactor was derived with 20 kV pulsed DC power supply with pulse duration of 4 µs, pulse frequency of 33 kHz. Electrical and optical characterizations of the reactor have been investigated. The electrical characteristics of the discharge revealed that the discharge was ignited by streamer to glow transition. The optical characteristics of the discharge revealed that the discharge was found to be strongly non-equilibrium with rotational temperature (T_rot) of 2873 K and vibrational temperature (T_vib) of 12,130 K. The Stark broadening of the emitted H_α line profile was used to deduce the electron density, which was found to be in the order of 10¹⁶ cm^?3. Methane conversion was strongly dependent upon the applied voltage and the methane flow rate. In general, under the specified operating condition, a methane conversion percentage of about 92% and a maximum hydrogen selectivity of 44.6% have been achieved. Specific energy consumption of methane conversion (SEC) and specific energy requirements for hydrogen formation (SER) of 5 eV/molecule has been achieved simultaneously with a maximum hydrogen production energy cost of about 3.8 µg/J. Finally, the decomposition of methane gas resulted in the deposition of an important byproduct namely graphene oxide.     

The Processing of Pyrolysis Fuel Oil by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Torch

In present paper, an atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment of pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO) was investigated in dielectric barrier discharge plasma torch reactor. The effect of the applied voltage and the volume of feedstock, as the main parameters, on the cracking of PFO were studied. By increasing the applied voltage from 10 to 16 kV, the production rate of hydrocarbons containing methane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene, and C₄ rise 18 times. In this case, the production rate of hydrogen increases by approximately 14 times and reaches 7.27 × 10^?3 mol/min for 16 kV. In the feedstock volume investigation, based on limitation of reactor volume, the production rate of hydrocarbons decreased from 0.44 × 10^?3 to 0.15 × 10^?3 mol/min by increasing volume of feedstock from 1 to 5 cc.     

Characterization of plasma polymerized hydrocarbons using CP–MAS 13C-NMR

Plasma polymerized hydrocarbons made from ethane and methane were produced under different reactor conditions and probed by solid-state carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C-NMR) with cross-polarization and magic-angle sample spinning. NMR experiments provided structural information about the plasma polymers. The conditions of low power, high hydrocarbon gas flow rate, and no added hydrogen gas appeared to give the highest amount of nonprotonated sp³ hybridized carbons in the films for the reactor design used. The use of methane or ethane as reactor gas did not affect plasma polymer structure significantly.     

Dry Reforming of Methane by DC Spark Discharge with a Rotating Electrode

A novel type of plasma reactor having a rotating electrode is proposed for CO₂ reforming of methane without catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Results indicated that employing rotating ground electrode leads to a stable discharge for any period of time. Effects of feed composition, feed flow rate, applied power and electrodes separation on the carbon dioxide and methane conversions as well as the products selectivity were investigated. Increasing CO₂/CH₄ molar ratio in the feed favors the reagents conversion and consequently promotes the formation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. If the target product is hydrogen, it is proposed to operate the reactor at CO₂/CH₄ = 1 molar ratio and if the target product is carbon monoxide then CO₂/CH₄ = 3 molar ratio is the preferred option for feed composition. This reactor system has advantages of stable operation and high conversion ability. Also, the obtained syngas with flexible molar ratio of H₂ to CO is suitable for vast industrial applications.     

Submerged Arc Breakdown of Methylene Blue in Aqueous Solutions

Low voltage, low energy submerged pulsed arcs between a pair of carbon or iron electrodes with a pulse repetition rate of 100?Hz, energies of 2.6?C192?mJ and durations of 20, 50 and 100???s were used to remove methylene blue (MB) contamination from 30?ml aqueous solutions. The MB concentration decreased exponentially with rates of 0.0006?C0.0143?s^?1 during processing with the carbon electrode pair. With the iron electrodes, the MB concentration initially decreased faster (0.030?s^?1) than with the carbon electrodes, but later saturated. However when microparticles produced with the iron electrodes were periodically filtered, the high removal rate was maintained. Under these conditions, the volume of water which can be treated per unit energy expenditure was much higher with the submerged arc than with other plasma processes. A kinetic model based on MB degradation by OH· radicals formed by the discharge was formulated. The higher initial MB removal rate with iron electrodes is explained by additional OH· production from Fenton??s reaction between Fe⁺⁺ and H₂O₂ produced by the discharge. This rate is maintained if the eroded iron particles are filtered, but if eroded iron particles accumulate, degradation slows down and stops, possibly because the iron particles catalytically decompose H₂O₂ and hence stops Fenton??s reaction, and either directly or via increased Fe⁺⁺ dissolved from the particles, scavenge the OH· radicals.     

Syngas Production from Propane Using Atmospheric Non-thermal Plasma

Propane steam reforming using a sliding discharge reactor was investigated under atmospheric pressure and low temperature (420 K). Non-thermal plasma steam reforming proceeded efficiently and hydrogen was formed as a main product (H₂ concentration up to 50%). By-products (C₂-hydrocarbons, methane, carbon dioxide) were measured with concentrations lower than 6%. The mean electrical power injected in the discharge is less than 2 kW. The process efficiency is described in terms of propane conversion rate, steam reforming and cracking selectivity, as well as by-products production. Chemical processes modelling based on classical thermodynamic equilibrium reactor is also proposed. Calculated data fit quiet well experimental results and indicate that the improvement of C₃H₈ conversion and then H₂ production can be achieved by increasing the gas fraction through the discharge. By improving the reactor design, the non-thermal plasma has a potential for being an effective way for supplying hydrogen or synthesis gas.     

Quenching Experiment Study on Thermal Plasma Pyrolysis Process of Coal Tar

Quenching is a key approach to obtain high acetylene yield in the process of coal tar pyrolysis to produce acetylene in a thermal plasma reactor due to the thermodynamic characteristics of acetylene. Experiments of coal tar pyrolysis were carried out in a lab-scale H₂/Ar plasma reactor under various quenching conditions. Meanwhile, thermodynamic analysis was performed to assist the optimization of quenching temperature and the maximization of acetylene yield. As quenching media in the experiments, hydrogen, argon, methane, and water were used separately to study the influence of quenching process on acetylene yield and specific energy requirement. The experimental results indicate that the acetylene concentration in quenched product gas was significantly affected by quenching operation, and the acetylene yield was significantly affected by quenching medium flow rate. The acetylene yields of 24.6, 17.8, 44.9 and 23.6 wt% can be reached by using hydrogen, argon, methane, and water as quenching media, respectively. The specific energy requirement analysis indicates that process energy efficiency can be improved by a suitable quench operation.     

Dry Reforming of Methane with Carbon Dioxide Using Pulsed DC Arc Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

Dry reforming of CH₄ with CO₂ to produce syngas was investigated in a plasma reactor without catalysts at atmospheric pressure. The reactants passed through the plasma zone and reacted in milliseconds with high conversions and selectivity due to the localized high temperature. The results showed that both conversions and selectivity were higher when using a DC arc discharge than using a pulsed DC arc. Increasing the input energy density promoted the conversions of reactants. At an input power of 204 W, the conversions of CO₂ and CH₄ reached 99.3 and 99.6%, respectively, and the selectivity to products was almost 100%, where the molar ratio of CO₂/CH₄ was 1 with the reactants flow rate of 100 ml/min. Very little coke was formed during the course of reaction. Key parameters such as the pulse frequency, the input power and the total feed flow rate were studied to find the optimum operating condition.     

Application of non-thermal atmospheric pressure ac plasmas to the carbon dioxide reforming of methane

Methane conversions of 11.9%, yields of hydrogen as high as 23.3% and energy yields of 1.0 mol H₂/kWh have been achieved from CO₂ reforming of CH₄ in non-thermal, atmospheric pressure plasma reactors with Pt coated electrodes. Two reactors have been studied. A novel fan type reactor consisting of a movable rotor and immobile stator produced the highest yields in contrast to a tube type (silent discharge) reactor with a glass dielectric barrier. Conversions, yields of hydrogen and energy yields (expressed as mol H₂/kWh) were studied for CO₂/CH₄ concentrations of 1.1% and 5.0% in He as a function of flow rate and input voltage. Hydrogen yields are observed to increase as the input voltage is increased from 411 V to 911 V and the flow rate is decreased from 100 cc/min to 30 cc/min. Energy yields vary only slightly with input voltage and flow rate. Hydrogen yields show little dependence on CO₂/CH₄ concentrations, but energy yields are approximately five times greater for the 5.0% mixture than the 1.1% mixture. Selectivities to H₂, CO, coke, and low molecular weight hydrocarbons were also evaluated and compared to data obtained without CO₂ in the feed. Hydrogen selectivities of nearly 100% were obtained, with small amounts of ethane and propane as the only observed side products and the selectivites were approximately the same whether CO₂ was present or absent in the mixture. However, the reaction proceeds much more cleanly when CO₂ is present, producing CO. The syngas product has an H₂ : CO ratio of 1.5 with the fan type reactor and 0.67 with the tubular reactor. In the absence of CO₂, coke is the main carbonaceous product. Under all conditions studied the fan type reactor demonstrated higher methane conversions (up to 11.9%) and selectivities to hydrogen.     

多尖端旋转电极辉光放电甲烷偶联研究

石油资源的日趋短缺使人们对世界大储量能源天然气的开发利用越来越重视.甲烷(CH4)是天然气的主要成份.由于CH4分子具有很高的稳定性,用CH4直接偶联制C2烃(乙烷、乙烯、乙炔)在热力学上十分不利,采用常规催化手段一直未取得突破性进展\[1\],而辉光放电等冷等离子体对于CH4偶联是一种非常有效的方法,近年来已成为物理化学跨学科前沿研究热点.在本研究领域中,利用脉冲电晕等离子体结合催化剂进行甲烷转化[2],其等离子体在空间分布上是非连续的,活性较低,反应区较小,甲烷的转化率及C2烃收率必然是有限的;利用微波诱导甲烷在催化剂上转化制C2烃[3],由于温度很高,能量密度太大,很容易使甲烷完全裂解,生成大量积碳,C2烃的收率也较低;利用介质阻挡放电使CH4偶联[4],能耗太大,能量利用率很低.因此,冷等离子体CH4偶联实现工业化的课题就是要在提高CH4转化率及C2烃收率的同时降低能耗,以提高能量利用率.     

Reactor design and energy concepts for a plasma process of acetylene black production

Acetylene black can be produced from methane decomposition in a plasma reactor. Different types of plasma reactor are designed for this purpose and a parametric analysis of the system is made. Carbon yield in the reactor seems to be dependent on methane flow rate and plasma power. The results obtained from various types of material analysis of the product obtained show that in some conditions carbon produced under plasma has qualities similar to acetylene black obtained by classical processes.     

Wet Conversion of Methane and Carbon Dioxide in a DBD Reactor

The influence of water on the plasma assisted conversion of methane and carbon dioxide in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plug flow reactor was studied. The plasma at atmospheric pressure was ignited by a power supply at a frequency of 13.56?MHz. Product formation was studied at a power range between 35 and 70?W. The concentrations of the three gases were altered and diluted with helium to 3?%. FTIR spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy were applied to analyze the inlet and the product streams. The main product of this process are hydrogen, carbon monoxide and ethane. Ethene, ethine, methanol and formaldehyde are generated beside the main products in this DBD in lower concentrations. The conversion of methane, the ratio of the synthesis gas components (n(H₂):n(CO)), and the yield of oxygenated hydrocarbons and hydrogen increases by adding water. The total consumed energy reaches lower values for small amounts of water. Additional water does not influence the generated amount of C2 hydrocarbons and of CO, but decreases the carbon dioxide conversion.     

电场增强催化甲烷合成碳二烃催化剂影响研究

本研究提出了在常温、常压电场增强等离子体条件下甲烷直接转化合成碳二烃的洁净工艺 ,在不同的放电电压、放电功率、甲烷进料流量和不同的催化剂作用下 ,甲烷能够以不同的转化率和选择性转变为碳二烃。对影响甲烷转化率和碳二烃选择性的因素 :放电电压、放电功率、甲烷进料流量和催化剂进行了研究 ,对催化剂性能进行了比较 ,并探讨了反应机理。结果表明 ,适宜的工艺条件 :放电电压 2 0kV～ 4 0kV ;输入功率 :2 0W～ 4 0W ;合适的甲烷进料流量 :30mL/min～ 70mL/min。在该条件下 ,碳二烃的选择性可以达到 95 % ;催化剂对甲烷转化率的影响顺序为MnO2 /Al2 O3 >Ni/Al2 O3 >MoO3 /Al2 O3 >Ni/NaY >Pd/ZSM 5 >Ni/H4Mg2 Si3 O4>Ni/ZSM 5 >Co/ZSM 5 >无催化剂。     

Conversion of Methane and Carbon Dioxide in a DBD Reactor: Influence of Oxygen

A continuous plug flow reactor supported by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is used to study the conversion of methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen at different compositions. The three studied gases were diluted with helium to 3 % with an overall flow rate of 200 sccm. The 13.56 MHz plasma was ignited at atmospheric pressure. The product stream and the inlet flow were analyzed by a FTIR spectrometer equipped with a White-cell and by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The DBD reactor generates hydrogen, carbon monoxide, ethane, ethene, acetylene, formaldehyde, and methanol. Additional oxygen in the feed has positive effects on the yield of methanol, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide and reduces the total consumed energy. The hydrogen yield reaches its maximum at medium amounts of oxygen in the inlet flow. The conversion of methane increases to a limiting value of about 35 %. Methane rich feeds increase the yield of hydrogen, ethane and methanol. On the other hand, additional oxygen has a negative influence on the produced amount of C2 hydrocarbons. The conversion of methane and carbon dioxide as well as the yield of synthesis gas components and C2 hydrocarbons increases by changing the plasma power to higher values.     

Phospholipid/Polydiacetylene Vesicle-Based Colorimetric Assay for High-Throughput Screening of Bacteriocins and Halocins

Multi-phase anaerobic reactor for H₂ and CH₄ production from paperboard mill wastewater was studied. The reactor was operated at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12, 18, 24, and 36 h, and organic loading rates (OLRs) of 2.2, 1.5, 1.1, and 0.75 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/m³ day, respectively. HRT of 12 h and OLR of 2.2 kg COD/m³ day provided maximum hydrogen yield of 42.76?±?14.5 ml/g COD_removed and volumetric substrate uptake rate (?rS) of 16.51?±?4.43 mg COD/L h. This corresponded to the highest soluble COD/total COD (SCOD/TCOD) ratio of 56.25?±?3.3 % and the maximum volatile fatty acid (VFA) yield (Y_VFA) of 0.21?±?0.03 g VFA/g COD, confirming that H₂ was mainly produced through SCOD conversion. The highest methane yield (18.78?±?3.8 ml/g COD_removed) and ?rS of 21.74?±?1.34 mgCOD/L h were achieved at an HRT of 36 h and OLR of 0.75 kg COD/m³ day. The maximum hydrogen production rate (HPR) and methane production rate (MPR) were achieved at carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 47.9 and 14.3, respectively. This implies the important effect of C/N ratio on the distinction between the dominant microorganism bioactivities responsible for H₂ and CH₄ production.     

Synthesis of Ozone at Atmospheric Pressure by a Quenched Induction-Coupled Plasma Torch

The technical feasibility of using an induction-coupled plasma (ICP) torch to synthesize ozone at atmospheric pressure is explored. Ozone concentrations up to ~250 ppm were achieved using a thermal plasma reactor system based on an ICP torch operating at 2.5 MHz and ~11 kVA with an argon/oxygen mixture as the plasma-forming gas. The corresponding production rate and yield were ~20 g ozone/hr and ~2g ozone/kWh, respectively. A gaseous oxygen quench formed ozone by rapid mixing of molecular oxygen with atomic oxygen produced by the torch. The ozone concentration in the reaction chamber was measured by Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy over a wide range of experimental conditions and configurations. The geometry of the quench gas flow, the quench flow velocity, and the quench flow rate played important roles in determining the ozone concentration. The ozone concentration was sensitive to the torch RF power, but was insensitive to the torch gas flow rates. These observations are interpreted within the framework of a simple model of ozone synthesis.     

A MEMS methanol reformer heated by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

This paper presents the design, fabrication and evaluation of a micro methanol reformer complete with a heat source. The micro system consists of the steam reforming reactor of methanol, the catalytic decomposition reactor of hydrogen peroxide, and a heat exchanger between the two reactors. In the present study, catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is used as a process to supply heat to the reforming reactor. The decomposition process of hydrogen peroxide produces water vapor and oxygen as a product that can be used efficiently to operate the reformer/PEMFC system. Cu/ZnO was selected as a catalyst for methanol steam reforming and Pt for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Incipient wetness method was used to load catalysts on a porous support. Catalyst loaded supports were inserted in the cavity made on the glass wafer. The performance of the methanol steam reforming system was measured at various test conditions and the optimum operation condition was sought. At the optimum condition, the hydrogen selectivity was 86.4% and the thermal efficiency was 44.8%. The product gas included 74.1% H(2), 24.5% CO(2) and 1.4% CO and the total volume production rate was 23.5 ml min(-1). This amount of hydrogen can produce 1.5 W of power on a typical PEMFC.     

正压、低温脉冲微波等离子体裂解天然气直接转化 制C2烃的研究

利用脉冲微波强化、扩展丝光等离子体反应装置,在常压和正压条件下,对低温脉冲微波等离子体裂解甲烷和氢气混合气制C2烃的反应进行了研究。考察了压力、微波功率、脉冲通/断时间以及氢气/甲烷比例、流量等参数对反应的影响。结果表明,在脉冲微波的作用下,常规高压放电形成的在空间呈非连续分布的丝状等离子体被强化和扩展成为连续分布的伞状等离子体,等离子体利用率和活性均得以大幅度提高;利用这种低温等离子体可以获得高的甲烷转化率,而且产物纯净,只有乙烯和乙炔;通过改变压力,还可能调节产物中C2H2/C2H4的物质的量比值,当气体总流量为300mL/min、物质的量比n(H2)/n(CH4)=2:1、压力为0.13MPa、微波峰值功率为120W、脉冲通/断比=400/400ms时,甲烷转化率可达59.2%,C2烃单程收率可达52%,其中乙炔单程收率达42.7%。     

Methane Conversion Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge：Comparison with Thermal Process and Catalyst Effects

The direct conversion of methane using a dielectric barrier discharge has been experimentally studied. Experiments with different values of flow rates and discharge voltages have been performed to investigate the effects on the conversion and reaction products both qualitatively and quantitatively. Experimental results indicate that the maximum conversion of methane has been 80% at an input flow rate of 5 ml/min and a discharge voltage of 4 kV. Experimental results also show that the optimum condition has occurred at a high discharge voltage and higher input flow rate. In terms of product distribution, a higher flow rate or shorter residence time can increase the selectivity for higher hydrocarbons. No hydrocarbon product was detected using the thermal method, except hydrogen and carbon. Increasing selectivity for ethane was found when Pt and Ru catalysts presented in the plasma reaction. Hydrogenation of acetylene in the catalyst surface could have been the reason for this phenomenon as the selectivity for acetylene in the products was decreasing.     

A High-Efficiency Reactor for the Pulsed Plasma Conversion of Methane

The authors recently developed a high-frequency pulsed plasma process for methane conversion to acetylene and hydrogen using a co-axial cylindrical (CAC) type of reactor. The energy efficiency represented by methane conversion rate per unit input energy has been improved so that such a pulsed plasma has potential for commercial acetylene production. A pulsed plasma consists of a pulsed corona discharge and a pulsed spark discharge. Most of energy is injected over the duration of the pulsed spark discharge. Methane conversion using this kind of pulsed plasma is a kind of pyrolysis enhanced by the pulsed spark discharge. In this study, a point-to-point (PTP) type of reactor that can produce a discharge channel over the duration of a pulse discharge was used for the pulsed plasma conversion of methane. The energy efficiency and carbon formation on electrodes have been improved. The influences of pulse frequency and pulse voltage on methane conversion rate and product selectivity were investigated. The features of methane conversion using PTP and CAC reactors were discussed.