Work

Plasma-assisted NH3 cracking in warm plasma reactors for green H2 production

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: NH3 is emerging as a carrier of green H2, but it requires a green and economical NH3 cracking process based on renewable energy. Plasma technology could be promising for this purpose. This work investigates the NH3 cracking performance of four different warm plasma reactors, with different configurations and operating in a wide range of conditions. We show that the NH3 conversion in warm plasma reactors is primarily determined by the specific energy input, with the main difference observed in the energy cost (EC) of cracking. The lowest EC obtained is 146 kJ/mol, but at a conversion of only 8%. A more reasonable conversion of around 50% yields an EC of around 200 kJ/mol in two of the reactors investigated. Plasma reactors operating at higher feed flow rates are more efficient and yield a higher H2 production rate. Our data indicate that NH3 cracking in these warm plasma reactors occurs mainly via thermal chemistry, with non-thermal plasma chemistry playing a less prominent role. NH3 decomposes not only inside the plasma core but also in a hot volume around it, which reduces the EC. Our study shows that warm plasmas are significantly more efficient for NH3 cracking than cold plasmas, even when the latter are combined with catalysts.

Source: Chemical Engineering Journal

DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.155946

Authors: Igor Fedirchyk, Ivan Tsonev, Rubén Quiroz Marnef, Annemie Bogaerts

Institution: University of Antwerp

Language: English

Topic: Plasma Applications and Diagnostics

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,490