Ethanol partial oxidative reforming in gliding arc discharge plasma: A better understanding by a kinetic model study

Ethanol plasma partial oxidative reforming process was investigated through experiments and modeling in a gliding arc discharge (GAD) plasma reactor. The effect of oxygen to ethanol (O-2/EtOH) molar ratio, flux and input power were evaluated according to yields of main products. The highest yields of hydrogen and carbon monoxide are 38.6% and 55.4%, respectively. The excited-state species including C-2(A(3)Pi(g)-X-3 Pi(u)), the C-2 Swan band and the second positive system (SPS) of nitrogen were detected by optical emission spectroscopy (OES). A zero-dimension (0-D) model of ethanol plasma partial oxidative reforming containing 457 reactions was established for describing the pathways of reforming processes and calculated by Chemkin-PRO. The detailed pathways of ethanol dissociation and production of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and carbon dioxide were sorted according to the calculation result of Chemkin-PRO. The frame mechanism of ethanol plasma partial oxidative reforming showed the main pathways in the reforming processes.

Automated summary

This study investigated the ethanol plasma partial oxidative reforming process in a gliding arc discharge (GAD) plasma reactor through experiments and modeling. The effects of oxygen to ethanol molar ratio, flux, and input power on the yields of main products were evaluated. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) detected excited-state species, and a 0-D model was established to describe the pathways of reforming processes.