Hydrogen Generation from the Dissociation of Water Using Microwave Plasmas

Abstract

Hydrogen is produced by direct dissociation of water vapor, i.e., splitting water molecules by the electrons in water plasma at low pressure (<10–50 Torr) using microwave plasma discharge. This condition generates a high electron temperature, which facilitates the direct dissociation of water molecules. A microwave plasma source is developed, utilizing the magnetron of a microwave oven and a TE10 rectangular waveguide. The quantity of the generated hydrogen is measured using a residual gas analyzer. The electron density and temperature are measured by a Langmuir probe, and the neutral temperature is calculated from the OH line intensity.