Fuel Conversion in a Universal Reactor with Gliding Discharge in Tornado Flow

Summary form only given. Drexel Plasma Institute has developed a new type of fuel conversion reactor that utilizes a non-equilibrium gliding discharge (traditionally called "Gliding Arc" though it operates mostly in the glow discharge regime) in reverse vortex ("tornado"') flow. This reactor is universal in that it is capable of reforming both gaseous fuels and evaporated liquid fuels, such as diesel, gasoline, glycerol, etc. Gliding discharges are considered transitional discharges that combine non-equilibrium effects with relatively high power and controllable temperature to accelerate the partial oxidation chemical processes required for fuel conversion. Gliding discharge plasma is employed as a volumetric catalyst in the partial oxidation process to produce syngas (CO + H
₂
) from hydrocarbons. Gliding discharge in tornado flow has several advantages including good mixing of fuel/oxygen and greater uniformity of treatment as recirculation in the vessel allows all of the fuel to be treated in the plasma reaction zone. Plasma energy input in the total energy balance of the process is negligible (approximately 2%) in our experiments; however it is enough to realize a significant increase in process efficacy. New design features of this system include cylindrical internal reaction vessel walls made from metal that act as a secondary electrode and an internal liquid fuel evaporator driven by system exhaust heat. The new Tornado Fuel Conversion reactor is a robust and flexible system that can operate in a variety of temperature and pressure regimes and utilize many fuel sources. A reactor of this type can ultimately be used for on-board fuel conversion and other practical plasma-chemical applications.