Numerical modelling of a low power non-transferred arc plasma reactor for methane conversion

B I MIN; D K DINH; D H LEE; T H KIM; S CHOI

doi:10.1088/2058-6272/ab00ce

Plasma Science and Technology > 2019 > 21(6): 64005-064005. > DOI: 10.1088/2058-6272/ab00ce

B I MIN, D K DINH, D H LEE, T H KIM, S CHOI. Numerical modelling of a low power non-transferred arc plasma reactor for methane conversion[J]. Plasma Science and Technology, 2019, 21(6): 64005-064005. DOI: 10.1088/2058-6272/ab00ce

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Numerical modelling of a low power non-transferred arc plasma reactor for methane conversion

B I MIN¹,
D K DINH^2,3,
D H LEE^2,3,
T H KIM^1,5,
S CHOI^1,4,5

¹ Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju 63243, Republic of Korea
² University of Science and Technology (UST), 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
³ Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, 156 Gajeongbuk-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34103, Republic of Korea
⁴ Department of Nuclear and Energy Engineering, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju 63243, Republic of Korea

Funds: This research was supported by the ‘R&D Center for reduction of Non-CO₂Greenhouse gases (2017002430003)’ funded by the Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) as ‘Global Top Environment R&D Program’ and the National Research Foundation of Republic of Korea (NRF-2010 0020077 and NRF-2015 M2B2A9030393).

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Received Date: October 29, 2018

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Abstract

Thermal flow characteristics and the methane conversion reaction in a low power arc plasma reactor for efficient storage and transport of methane, which is the main component of shale gas, were simulated. The temperature and velocity distributions were calculated according to the type of discharge gases and arc current level by a self-developed magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code and a commercial ANSYS-FLUENT code; the transport of chemical species was analyzed as including the chemical reactions of methane conversion. The simulated results were verified by the comparison of calculated and measured arc voltages with permissible low error as under 4%. Three C₂ hydrocarbon gases with ethane (C₂H₆), ethylene (C₂H₄), and acetylene (C₂H₂) were selected as the converted species of methane from experimental data. The mass fraction of C₂ hydrocarbons and hydrogen as the product of the conversion reaction at the reactor was also calculated. Those values show good agreement with the actual experimental results in that the major conversion reaction occurred in C₂H₂ and hydrogen, and the conversions to C₂H₆, C₂H₄, and hydrogen were minor reactions of methane pyrolysis conversion.
- numerical modelling,
- non-transferred arc plasma,
- methane,
- chemical reaction

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5.	Maitre, P.-A., Bieniek, M.S., Kechagiopoulos, P.N. Plasma-enhanced catalysis for the upgrading of methane: A review of modelling and simulation methods. Reaction Chemistry and Engineering, 2020, 5(5): 814-837. DOI:10.1039/d0re00024h

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Numerical modelling of a low power non-transferred arc plasma reactor for methane conversion

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