Abstract:
The behavior of direct methane conversion in an applied AC electric discharge at ambient conditions was investigated using a Dielectric-Barrier Discharge (DBD) reactor. The main objective was to determine the effects of ethane and propane on methane conversion. The kinetics of the system were also studied. In put voltages were varied from 4,350 V to 6,250 V and total flow rates of 20 to 80 ml/min were employed. It was found that methane conversion increased both with increasing voltage and residence time. Hydrogen abstraction - the most common initiation reaction that occurred in the system - produced ethane, ethylene and propylene as the main products in the pure methane, ethane and propane systems, respectively. With higher amounts of H2 produced, the secondary products that were produced from the dehydrogenation of primary products were limited . With ethane or propane present in the system, only ethane enhanced the methane conversion to higher hydrocarbons while propane acted as an inhibitor. The mechanisms of the reactions depended on the voltage, flow rate, and composition of reactants. Because of complicated reversible reactions, exact rate expressions could not be determined. Power law models were used to express the reaction rates in terms of the reactants using differential analysis and a plug flow model. The orders of reaction at the flow rates studied were found to be low allowing the conversion rate to increase slightly with an increase in the partial pressure of the reactants. At higher voltage, the values of the rate constants increased, resulting in a significant increase in reaction rate