Hydrogen Generation From DME Decomposition With Corona Discharge

DME is generally considered as a storage of hydrogen with safty, cheapness and flexility. It can be made from various resources in addition to petroleum. It is becoming an important material for hydrogen on a medium or mini scale, taking an essential role for application of fuel cell. Plasma method for generating hydrogen from DME needs no catalysts, allowing the reactions occurred at a low temperature with a small space within much shorter time. This method will be a good choice of hydrogen production at a variable condition. In this work the characteristic of DME decomposition to hydrogen using corona discharge was investigated, try to exploit a new way to generate hydrogen through cold plasma without catalyst.Many physical concepts regarding the corona plasma process applied are studied from the point of view of chemical reaction. A setup is established to measure and control the physical parameters of corona plasma, including voltage, current and so on.Hydrogen generated directly from DME decomposition with corona discharge. The product includes hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon species. The optimum flow rate of DME is 27.4ml/min. The use of Ar can enhance the production of hydrogen significantly.The studies on corona discharge with various electrical characteristics were conducted to judge their chemical activity for DME conversion. The activity decreased in the order as: sinusoid triangle > sinusoid > square > ramp. In contrast the energy consumption of hydrogen generation is just as: sinusoid > sinusoid triangle > square > ramp.An experimental investigation was also conducted to study the steam reforming of DME with corona discharge. The addition of vapor can eliminate the product of carbon species and promote the stability of reaction. Proper amount of vapor is propitious to enhance the conversion of DME and the selectivity of hydrogen, and reduce the energy consumption of hydrogen generation. The conversion of DME would be restrained if the flow rate of vapor were too high. The best flow rate of vapor is 31.0ml/min. To receive the lowest energy consumption, 1.0kHz is the proper frequency of the alternating current.The conversion rate of DME decreased with different waveforms in the order as:...