Numerical study of H₂S-H₂O-air mixture conversion to hydrogen via activation of air by an electric discharge

Abstract

The numerical analysis of H2 production during partial oxidation of H2S–H2O–air in a plug-flow reactor at a rather low temperature (T 0=500 K) was conducted. For the reforming process promotion, the oxidizer (air) was activated by an electrical discharge with different values of reduced electric field E/N and input energy E s. It was shown that a significant hydrogen yield in a flow reactor can be obtained only after mixture ignition. The ignition delay length turned out to be minimal at E/N~4–10 and 120–150 Td, when O2(a1Δg) mole fraction in the discharge products is maximal. If the H2S–H2O–air mixture ignites inside the flow reactor, the H2 mole fraction and its relative yield do not depend on E/N. The relative hydrogen yield increases monotonically with an increase of H2O amount. The specific energy requirement for H2 production in considered process was evaluated.