Evaluation of two plumes jet plasma reactor for plasmolysis of H2O vapor and CO2 combinations – Optimization study

Abstract

A custom design multi-flying jet plasma torches (MFJPT) reactor was tested for plasmolysis of water vapor and mixtures of water vapor-carbon dioxide in a series of experimental investigations at various reactor operational parameters. Experimentation plans were applied within the range of induced power (100–300 watts) and various vapor/gas throughputs. The produced gases were analyzed through online gas chromatography. The results of water vapor plasmolysis in two schemes demonstrated the production of 1337 ppm of hydrogen from water vapor/argon and 1665 ppm from applying a water vapor/argon/CO₂ combination. Valuable hydrocarbon gases (e.g., Ethane, Ethylene/Acetylene) were generated and detected at higher conversions upon introducing H₂O vapor, argon, and CO₂ mixtures. The experimental data were trained through machine learning and a Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) model has fitted the data quite well. Ultimately, optimization study outcomes are presented through a color heat-map for system scaling-up purposes.