Probe into methanol and ethanol mixtures oxidative reforming in gliding arc discharge plasma and kinetic model

Abstract

A plasma reactor utilizing gliding arc discharge (GAD) was created for the purpose of partial oxidative reforming (POR) a mixture of methanol and ethanol to produce H₂. This study explored that the molar ratio of oxygen to carbon (O/C), the mass ratio of methanol to ethanol, residence time, and input power influenced the POR reaction. With an O/C ratio of 0.5, a methanol-to-ethanol mass ratio of 1:1, an input power of 42 W, and a residence time of 30 s, the energy yield for H₂ reached 84.6 L$·$kWh⁻¹, with H₂ and CO as the main products. Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) was employed to diagnose GAD plasma. A zero-dimensional (0-D) kinetic model was developed, showing good agreement with experimental data. The conversion mechanisms for methanol and ethanol, along with the generation and consumption of products, were thoroughly analyzed. The conversion of methanol and ethanol occurs mainly through H-atom collisions. The main pathway for H₂ production originates from the recombination reactions of H· radicals with hydrocarbons such as CH₂·, CH₄, C₂H₃·, and C₂H₆.