Oxidative plasma chemical transformations of C3-C4 alkanes

Abstract

The results of oxidation of a propane-butane mixture (liquefied petroleum gas) with oxygen in a barrier discharge plasma in the presence of liquid octane are presented. The transformation of the initial mixture results in the formation of predominantly hydroxyl and carbonyl compounds of the initial gaseous C3-C4 hydrocarbons. The mechanism of hydrocarbon oxidation is similar to that of transformation of liquid hydrocarbons in the barrier discharge plasma. An increase in the initial concentration of the propane-butane mixture in the gas phase results in a decrease in the conversion of gaseous hydrocarbons and octane in one pass through the reactor. Calculations performed using the Bolsig+ program show that a reduction in conversion of gaseous hydrocarbons is due to a decrease in the rate constant of the oxygen dissociation reaction resulted from a decrease in the average electron energy from 4.1 to 3.4 eV. A mathematical expression is proposed, which allows predicting the direction of the plasma-chemical reaction.