Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing

, Volume 33, Issue 1, pp 271–279 | Cite as

Study of the Production of Hydrogen and Light Hydrocarbons by Spark Discharges in Diesel, Kerosene, Gasoline, and Methane

  • Muhammad Arif Malik
  • David Hughes
  • Areej Malik
  • Shu Xiao
  • Karl H. Schoenbach
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Reforming liquid fuels into hydrogen and light hydrocarbons is desirable for improving the combustion characteristics of the fuels and the production of reducing agents for applications such as the removal of nitrogen oxides. In this study, diesel, kerosene, gasoline and methane were reformed by spark discharges between needle and plate electrodes at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The gaseous products from liquid fuels comprised 65–70 % hydrogen and 30–35 % light hydrocarbons having two carbon atoms per molecule (i.e., C2s), or three carbon atoms per molecule (i.e., C3s). The product gases were 90 % hydrogen and 10 % C2s in the case of methane reforming. The energy efficiency for the production of gaseous products was highest in the case of gasoline at 3.8 mol/kWh, followed by kerosene, diesel and methane at 3.2, 3.0, and 2.4 mol/kWh, respectively. These results were found to be comparable to those reported by others for the reforming of pure hydrocarbons by plasmas in liquids. The liquid fuels turned black due to the formation of carbonaceous products, some of which could be filtered out as solid carbon particles, but others remained dissolved and imparted color to the treated liquid.

Keywords

Spark discharges Reforming Diesel Kerosene Gasoline Methane Non-equilibrium plasma Hydrogen 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the “Frank Reidy Fellowship in Environmental Plasma Research” and with internal funds of the Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  • Muhammad Arif Malik
    • 1
  • David Hughes
    • 2
  • Areej Malik
    • 3
  • Shu Xiao
    • 1
  • Karl H. Schoenbach
    • 1
  1. 1.Frank Reidy Research Center for BioelectricsOld Dominion UniversityNorfolkUSA
  2. 2.The Math and Science AcademyOcean Lakes High SchoolVirginia BeachUSA
  3. 3.Granby High SchoolNorfolkUSA

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