Improvement of plasma reactor design for methane pyrolysis by simulation

Abstract

Hydrogen generation by plasma reactors from methane is a promising technology. Although, much research is done on accurately describing the plasma, fewer was focused on the reactor design optimization. By altering the design, the velocity profiles and heat transport can be managed in such a way that the conversion of methane can be increased. Through a simplified simulation approach, it was possible to increase the gliding arc reactor conversion from 30 to 50 %, which was tested by experiments. Similar finding resulted from the microwave plasma simulation, where simulations showed a potential rise from 66 % to 84 %.