Development of a gliding arc plasma reactor for CO₂destruction

Gliding Arc Reactor under AC Pulsed Mode Operation: Spatial Performance Profile for NOx Synthesis

A two-dimensional gliding arc reactor for NOx synthesis was investigated in this study using AC pulsed mode operation. Tests with a duty cycle of 40 or 60% achieved the lowest energy consumption of 6.95 MJ/mol, which is an improvement of 15% from the case of continuous operation. Based on the results achieved, a new method for analyzing the spatial profile of the reactor was presented. The reactor was divided into five zones along the arc propagation, and results indicated that the first zone and last zone of the gliding arc reactor had higher energy consumption (9.59 and 8.63 MJ/mol, respectively), while lower consumption was observed in the middle parts of the reactor with a minimum of 5.00 MJ/mol. Spatial-resolved optical emission spectra, the deduced electron density, and temperature indicated the nonuniformity in plasma properties, which corresponds to the NOx production performance across the reactor. This research provides information and discussion that can be used for understanding and optimization of gliding arc reactors toward efficient nitrogen fixation.

CO2 Decomposition in Microwave Discharge Created in Liquid Hydrocarbon

The task of CO2 decomposition is one of the components of the problem associated with global warming. One of the promising directions of its solution is the use of low-temperature plasma. For these purposes, different types of discharges are used. Microwave discharge in liquid hydrocarbons has not been studied before for this problem. This paper presents the results of a study of microwave discharge products in liquid Nefras C2 80/120 (petroleum solvent, a mixture of light hydrocarbons with a boiling point from 33 to 205 °C) when CO2 is introduced into the discharge zone, as well as the results of a study of the discharge by optical emission spectroscopy and shadow photography methods. The main gas products are H2, C2H2, C2H4, CH4, CO2, and CO. No oxygen was found in the products. The mechanisms of CO2 decomposition in the discharge are considered. The formation of H2 occurs simultaneously with the decomposition of CO2 in the discharge, with a volumetric rate of up to 475 mL/min and energy consumption of up to 81.4 NL/kWh.