Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2025
09:41
Emission Spectroscopic Boundary Layer Investigation during Ablative Material Testing in Plasmatron
Published on: June 9, 2016
12.4K
Gliding Arc Reactor under AC Pulsed Mode Operation: Spatial Performance Profile for NO Synthesis
Sirui Li1, Thijs van Raak1, Rutger Kriek1
1Inorganic Membranes and Membrane Reactors, Sustainable Process Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, De Rondom 70, Eindhoven 5612 AP, The Netherlands.
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
|September 1, 2023
Summary
Optimizing a gliding arc reactor for nitrogen oxide (NO) synthesis using pulsed AC power significantly reduced energy consumption by 15%. The study mapped energy use across reactor zones for better efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Chemical Engineering
- Plasma Science
- Environmental Chemistry
Background:
- Nitrogen oxides (NO) are crucial industrial chemicals.
- Efficient synthesis methods are needed to reduce energy consumption.
- Gliding arc reactors offer a promising approach for NO production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the energy efficiency of a 2D gliding arc reactor for NO synthesis.
- To analyze the spatial energy consumption and plasma properties within the reactor.
- To identify optimization strategies for enhanced nitrogen fixation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized AC pulsed mode operation with varying duty cycles (40% and 60%).
- Developed a spatial analysis method dividing the reactor into five zones.
- Employed spatial-resolved optical emission spectroscopy to determine plasma characteristics.
Main Results:
- Lowest energy consumption of 6.95 MJ/mol achieved at 40% or 60% duty cycles, a 15% improvement over continuous operation.
- Higher energy consumption observed in the initial and final zones (9.59 and 8.63 MJ/mol), with minimum consumption (5.00 MJ/mol) in the middle zones.
- Nonuniform plasma properties (electron density, temperature) correlated with spatial NO production performance.
Conclusions:
- Pulsed AC operation enhances the energy efficiency of gliding arc reactors for NO synthesis.
- Understanding spatial energy distribution and plasma uniformity is key to reactor optimization.
- This research provides insights for developing more efficient nitrogen fixation technologies.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Nuclear Fusion
21.4K
The process of converting very light nuclei into heavier nuclei is also accompanied by the conversion of mass into large amounts of energy, a process called fusion. The principal source of energy in the sun is a net fusion reaction in which four hydrogen nuclei fuse and ultimately produce one helium nucleus and two positrons.
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...
21.4K
01:22Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
522
The instrumentation of atomic emission spectrometry (AES) involves various components, including atomization devices that convert samples into gas-phase atoms and ions. There are two main types of atomization devices: continuous and discrete atomizers. Continuous atomizers, like plasmas and flames, introduce samples in a constant stream, while discrete atomizers inject individual samples using syringes or autosamplers. The most common discrete atomizer is the electrothermal atomizer.
522
01:19Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Principle
695
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is the most widely used plasma source in atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), also known as Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The ICP source, or torch, consists of three concentric quartz tubes with argon gas flowing through them. A spark from a Tesla coil initiates the ionization of argon, generating a high-temperature plasma.
The ions and electrons produced interact with the fluctuating magnetic field created by a water-cooled...
The ions and electrons produced interact with the fluctuating magnetic field created by a water-cooled...
695
01:11Source Transformation for AC Circuits
622
The process of source transformation in the frequency domain entails the conversion of a voltage source, positioned in series with an impedance, into a current source that is parallel to an impedance, or the other way around. It is essential to maintain the following relationships while transitioning from one source type to another.
622
01:20Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview
2.3K
Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is an analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a sample by analyzing the light emitted from excited atoms. In AES, atoms in a sample are excited to higher energy levels by thermal energy from high-temperature sources, such as plasma, arcs, or sparks. When these excited atoms return to lower energy states, they emit light at specific wavelengths characteristic of each element. The resulting atomic emission spectrum, which consists of...
2.3K
01:26Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
254
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is the common plasma source used in atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), a technique that detects and analyzes various elements in a sample. This method is often called inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
There are three main types of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) instruments: sequential, simultaneous multichannel, and Fourier transform instruments, with the latter being less commonly used....
There are three main types of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) instruments: sequential, simultaneous multichannel, and Fourier transform instruments, with the latter being less commonly used....
254