2005 Volume 38 Issue 3 Pages 163-170
This study investigated the effects of electrical parameters of a corona discharge reactor on the partial oxidation of methane in air and on carbon dioxide reforming with methane in the presence and absence of Pt loaded KL zeolite (Pt/KL). The experiments were conducted over a wide range of applied frequency (200–800 Hz) and input low side voltage (32–72 V). For partial oxidation of methane, the reactant conversions increased with decreasing applied frequency and increased with input low side voltage both in the presence and absence of Pt/KL except that the oxygen conversion was 100% in the presence of Pt/KL. Compared to the corona discharge in the absence of Pt/KL, the presence of Pt/KL resulted in higher oxygen conversion but lower methane conversion. In the absence of Pt/KL, the CO/C2 and H2/CO ratios were constant of about 12 and 1.8 at high current but in the presence of Pt/KL, the CO/C2 and H2/CO ratios both increased with decreasing applied frequency and increasing input low side voltage. For carbon dioxide reforming with methane, applied frequency and input low side voltage affected only reactant conversions with no significant effect on reaction pathways both in the presence and absence of Pt/KL. The combination of catalyst and corona discharge had no strong effect on carbon dioxide reforming with methane.
