Hydrogen production from partial oxidation of dimethyl ether by spark discharge plasma

Experiments involving hydrogen production from dimethyl ether (DME) were performed with a multistage plasma converter at atmospheric pressure. The results of these experiments show that the DME conversion and H₂ yield initially increase and then decrease with the pulse duty ratio increasing. The maximal values of the DME conversion and H₂ yield are 87.6% and 39.4% at a pulse duty ratio of 80%, respectively. As the increase in voltage of the electric source, the conversion and H₂ yield increase significantly, since both the spark energy and the resident time of a spark in chamber are enhanced. When the heat preservation configuration or humidifying reactant is employed, the DME conversion rate and the H₂ yield are enhanced, while the energy consumption is much lower than standard situation at each discharge frequency and the thermal efficiency is enhanced. Owing to insufficient oxygen, the carbon deposit is formed on the electrodes. With the increase in the A/D ratio, the carbon deposit on both the electrodes is clearly reduced.