Low Cost Modular Plasma System for Reforming of Natural Gas

A low cost compact modular pointofuse, ondemand production system for the reforming of currently abundant supplies of natural gas will be developed. A nonequilibrium dielectric barrier discharge system provides scalable capacity for reforming methane into valuable products such as acetylene, hydrogen and other related hydrocarbon molecules. The high power density and high average electron energies of the plasma will provide selective conversion at near room temperature. High efficiency conversion of electrical input power into plasma generation provides energy efficient operation. During Phase I production of acetylene, hydrogen and other low molecular weight hydrocarbons from methane was demonstrated. The concentration of acetylene and other products resulting from methane reforming was determined using mass spectrometry. There was little evidence of soot generation under the range of conditions evaluated. The production efficiency as a function of flow rate, temperature, and plasma operational parameters was investigated. The overall energy efficiency of the reactor was estimated. A system for recovering the stream of reaction products was designed. During Phase II the performance of the plasma system will be advanced. The scalable modular design will be completed. The yield of reaction products will be fully characterized and the collection and concentration of product streams completed. Once available the technology has a wide range of applications such as abatement of gaseous pollutants, treatment of liquid waste, surface treatment of materials such as textiles for environmentally friendly manufacturing, and sterilization of surface and human tissue to name a few. With adaptations treatment of gases, liquids and solids is possible. Key words: dielectric barrier discharge, atmospheric pressure plasma, gas reforming, methane, acetylene, hydrogen, nonequilibrium plasma, energy efficiency. A lowcost pointofuse manufacturing system will be developed which converts currently abundant supplies of natural gas into valuable chemical products. The modular system is scalable to meet demand. Energy efficient operation will allow the technology to compete with traditional large scale manufacturing systems.