Powerful Low Temperature Hydrogen Plasma Generator pra-0101

Full Title Research on and Creation of a Powerful Low Temperature Hydrogen Plasma Generator Used for Hydrocarbon Treatment Tech Area / Field

• PHY-PLS: Physics / Plasma Physics

• MAT-SYN: Materials / Materials Synthesis and Processing

Brief Description of Technology Research on strong current arc discharges (I = 10²-10⁶ A) in hydrogen and other gases under a wide range of pressures (P = 0.1-10 M Pa) in subsonic and supersonic flows has been carried out at the IPE RAS for the past thirty years. Unique commercial-frequency A.C. plasma generators were created, covering power ranges of N = 10 - 10³ kW in stationary regimes and up to 80 MW in short-time regimes with the use of hydrogen as the plasma-forming gas. The temperature of the generated jets is about 10³ – 1.5  10⁴ K. Their efficiency is 70-90%.

These generators make use of the interactions between the three-phase arcs of alternate current burning, occurring inside the discharge chamber. This leads to the creation of quasi-homogeneous plasma, which provides for the stable burning of A.C. arcs and for the effective heat exchange between the arcs and the plasma-forming gas. Moreover, the use of special electrodes from refractory materials provides for a low specific electrode erosion (10^-7 g/C).

For the power supply of plasma generators, standard equipment is used (transformers and throttles), which is cheaper and safer than the power sources for D.C. plasma generators.

These plasma generators have been used in large electrophysical installations for aerodynamic and laser systems, as well as in some chemical enterprises in Russia. The invention was awarded a State Prize of the Soviet Union in 1982. Further research will be directed at increasing the service life and efficiency of the generators, and at expanding the power range for different pressures and flow rates for hydrocarbon treatment.

One of the possible applications for plasma generators is in the highly effective technological processes of hydrocarbon raw material treatment.

Investigations were carried out at the Institute of Oil- and Chemical Synthesis of the RAS, under the leadership of Prof. L.S. Polak, and at a number of applied institutes. These investigations showed that different hydrocarbons (natural gas, condensated gases, low-octane petrol and others) are subjected to cracking with the formation of industrially valuable products, such as acetylene, propylene, and hydrogen. The plasma process out-performs the existing methods of acetylene production (oxidation pyrolysis of hydrocarbon raw materials) and carbide methods in its parameters by 2.5 - 3 times. The extraction and cleaning of the necessary products in the development of plasmachemical technology is carried out with the help of traditional extraction methods, which are less expensive due to the more optimal composition and low concentration of the by-products.

Legal Aspects None.

Special Facilities in Use and Their Specifications The research will be carried out on test-benches of the IPE RAS. The test-benches for plasma-generator testing are supplied with the following systems: a gas supply system for different gases; a power supply system with a power of up to 2 MW; a water cooling system with a flow rate of 300 l/min and a pressure of up to 1 MPa. The test-benches have a system for gas collection and discharge of exhaust gases.

Scientific Papers I.A. Glebov, Ph.G. Rutberg “Powerful plasma generators”, M. Energoatomizdat, 1985 (English).