Experimental Studies of Process of Hydrogen Synthesis in Plasma Discharge in a Liquid-Phase Stream

Abstract

In this work, experimental studies of the process of obtaining hydrogen in a plasma discharge initiated in a liquid stream of different chemical composition were carried out. A two-phase flow was created when a liquid medium under high pressure passed through a hydrodynamic irradiator. A supersonic two-phase vapor-liquid flow under reduced pressure is formed in the fluid due to the pressure drop and decrease in the enthalpy of the flow. The plasma discharge was initiated by an external power source, which creates an electric field inside the reaction chamber. Several shapes and sizes of reaction chambers with different electrode arrangements were tested. Pure water as well as alcohols, esters, and their mixtures with water were used as starting liquids. As a result of experimental studies, it was shown that a low-temperature plasma initiated under the conditions of a flow of a liquid-phase medium in the discharge gap between the electrodes can effectively decompose hydrogen-containing molecules of organic compounds in a liquid to form gaseous products with a significant proportion of hydrogen. It is shown that the highest efficiency of the process is when using mixtures of alcohols and water as a raw material. This opens the possibility of using this process in the processing of crude ethanol and other products of the fermentation of cheap plant materials. The decomposition of organic compounds in plasma also produces insignificant amounts of carbon nanoparticles and oxide nanoparticles of discharge electrode materials.