Gliding Arc Reactor under AC Pulsed Mode Operation: Spatial Performance Profile for NO_x Synthesis

Abstract

A two-dimensional gliding arc reactor for NO x synthesis was investigated in this study using AC pulsed mode operation. Tests with a duty cycle of 40 or 60% achieved the lowest energy consumption of 6.95 MJ/mol, which is an improvement of 15% from the case of continuous operation. Based on the results achieved, a new method for analyzing the spatial profile of the reactor was presented. The reactor was divided into five zones along the arc propagation, and results indicated that the first zone and last zone of the gliding arc reactor had higher energy consumption (9.59 and 8.63 MJ/mol, respectively), while lower consumption was observed in the middle parts of the reactor with a minimum of 5.00 MJ/mol. Spatial-resolved optical emission spectra, the deduced electron density, and temperature indicated the nonuniformity in plasma properties, which corresponds to the NO x production performance across the reactor. This research provides information and discussion that can be used for understanding and optimization of gliding arc reactors toward efficient nitrogen fixation.

A review on plasma-based CO2 utilization: process considerations in the development of sustainable chemical production

“…The growing interest in the field has resulted in a substantial increase in research output on plasma-based chemical conversions over the past few decades. Publications covering diverse topics, including nitrogen fixation [6,7], CO 2 valorization [8,9], and CH 4 reforming [10][11][12], delve into various aspects such as reaction mechanisms [13,14], reactor design [15][16][17], and plasma-catalyst interactions [18][19][20][21]. Of particular interest is the pursuit of CO 2 conversion through plasma-based methods due to its potential to reduce CO 2 emissions and contribute to a carbon circular economy.…”