Collaborative Research: Direct-in-liquid electrical discharge for the production of hydrogen-rich gas

从碳氢化合物中制造氢气是各种应用的需要，特别是燃料电池驱动的汽车和废气的等离子体处理。虽然等离子体辅助气态烃重整技术比传统重整技术有许多优点，但直接在液态烃中产生等离子体可能会导致反应容器的尺寸更小、通量更高，其产物选择性与在气态烃中形成的等离子体不同。本项目研究了直接在液体等离子体辅助下重整液态碳氢化合物和醇的基本化学过程。实验工作使用自由基清除技术，等离子体光谱，以及氘化和同位素标记的溶剂来阐明在有水或空气的液体燃料直接重整过程中形成氢，短链碳氢化合物和合成气的化学途径。理论方面的工作集中于乙醇和异辛烷放电动力学模型的发展，目的是比较理论（即预测）和实验副产物。这项工作还扩展到使用快速光学成像，纹影和阴影成像以及干涉测量来表征放电。该项目及其相关活动直接吸引本科生和研究生，扩展到当地小学生，并教育公众。

1336385/1336173Mededovich/KovaleskiManufacturing of hydrogen from hydrocarbons is needed for a variety of applications, especially for fuel cell powered vehicles and plasma treatment of exhaust gas. Though plasma-assisted reforming of gaseous hydrocarbons provides several advantages over conventional reforming technologies, creating plasmas directly in liquid hydrocarbons can potentially lead to smaller size and higher throughput reaction vessels with product selectivity different from the plasma formed in gaseous hydrocarbons. This project investigates the fundamental chemical processes occurring during direct-in-liquid plasma-assisted reforming of liquid hydrocarbons and alcohols. The experimental work uses radical scavenging techniques, plasma spectroscopy, as well as deuterated and isotopically labeled solvents to elucidate chemical pathways responsible for the formation of hydrogen, short-chained hydrocarbons, and syngas during direct reforming of liquid fuels with and without water or air. The theoretical effort focuses on the development of kinetic models for electrical discharges in ethanol and in iso-octane with the purpose of comparing theoretical (i.e. predicted) and experimental byproducts. The work also extends to the characterization of the discharge using fast optical imaging, schlieren and shadowgraphic imaging, and interferometry. The project and its related activities directly engage undergraduate and graduate students, extend to local elementary school students, and educate the general public.