Hydrocracking of n-hexadecane via liquid or gaseous water assisted pulsed spark discharge in liquid

Abstract

In view of the problem that it is difficult to ignite discharge in the insulating liquid medium, the method of water assisted where the spark will occur was proposed. The introduction of water in any form lead to easier breakdown in the insulating liquid medium, and can also avoid carbon deposition caused by spark discharge, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing the discharge voltage. This paper also analyzes the liquid products after discharge, and it is found that the higher heating value of the liquid products was influenced by water state and peak voltage, which increased by 2.25% under the action of spark discharge. In addition, extending processing time may not be a good way to increase higher heating value of liquid products. This method not only solves the difficult problem of plasma generation in liquid medium, but also provides evidence for plasma-chemical reactions in heavy oil cracking and hydrogenation.