Energy efficient dry reforming process using low temperature arcs

An energy efficient dry reforming process using a rotating arc plasma is introduced. By virtue of an elongated stable arc state in a rotating arc, a thermal energy efficiency of up to 76% and a reduction of the process costs to 9.4 and 5.52kJL(-1) for reactant conversion and syngas production, respectively, are realized. The effects of the CH4/CO2 molar ratio on the energy cost were also investigated. The lowest energy costs were obtained at molar ratios of 3/7 and 1 for the reactant conversion and syngas production, respectively. Moreover, we found that a specific energy input (SEI) of 11.2kJL(-1) could maximize the conversion of both CO2 and CH4 to almost 100%. The results presented herein successfully demonstrate the commercial feasibility of using low-temperature arcs for the dry reforming of methane. [GRAPHICS] .