project ntp van ortega cayetano shama karu sean mckeown themistoklis zacharatos advisor: dr. woo lee...
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Project NTP
Van Ortega Cayetano
Shama Karu
Sean McKeown
Themistoklis ZacharatosAdvisor: Dr. Woo Lee
Plasma Specialist: Dr. Kurt Becker
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Introduction to Plasma
• Plasmas are everywhere around us.
• Plasmas are an equilibrium of ions and electrons with in a confined space.
Categories of Plasmas: • Different characteristics of plasmas are produced
with various means of energy applications.• Various plasmas:
– Homogeneous Plasma– Arc Discharge (lightning)– Thermal Plasma– Non-Thermal Plasma (NTP) (fluorescent tubes)– Etc.
• Few Variations among plasmas:– Electron density– Thermal energy – Energy consumption
Cause of Variations:• Pressure• Voltage• Material of electrodes• Type of gas• Means of plasma production
(plasma source)
Production of Plasma:• A commonly used method of generating and
sustaining NTP is through an electric field. – For instance, two parallel electrodes with an applied
voltage
Schematic Diagram of the Plasma ReactorDielectric Barrier Discharge at/above Atmospheric Pressure
Glass PipetteAnode
Cathode
AC HV +
Network
Plasma Region
Gas FlowSpectroscopy, Gas
ChromatographyPure He or Ar
He/N2 or Ar/N2
He/Ar + N2 + CH3OH
1 kV, 50 W 250 kHz
Reference: Prof. Becker
Summary of Experimental Results with Cold Plasma
• Plasma Characteristics with He/Ar+N2 – Gas temperature of 350 – 380 K (measured)– Electron density of 1 – 5 x 10+10 cm-3 (estimated)– Avg. electron energy of 0.6 – 0.8 eV w/o high-energy tail
• Experiments with He/Ar+N2+CH3OH–Gas temperature still in the 350 – 380 K range–Increase in CO, OH, and CH emissions, indicating a
(partial) plasma-induced break-up of CH3OH
–Very weak H emissions –May require more energetic electrons –Needs improvement for controlling methanol content
Reference: Prof. Becker
Summary of Experiment Attempting to
Crack Methanol from Pipette Design • Flow-rate of pure Argon was 140cc/min
• Flow-rate of Ar/MeOH was 11.8cc/min
• Total flow-rate was 151.8cc/min
• Power in was approximately 150W
• Methanol concentration before entering plasma to be 1.29%
Conclusion• GC detector not sensitive enough unable to pick up
such a small concentration
Goals:
• Obtain a clear understanding of plasma
• Breakdown Methane at a lower temperature than the current conventional methods using NTP
• Improve on previous year
Breakdown of Methane:
Methane steam reforming:
CH4 + 2H2O CO2 + 4H2
CH4 + H2O CO + 3H2
Temperature: 600–1300K with Ni/Ca/Carbon – based catalyst
Methane plasma reforming:
CH4 + e- ????Temperature ~ 300K
Obtain a clear understanding of plasma:• Literature research
• Consult with Physics department
• Analyze experiments using NTP
Plasma
Experimental research on new plasma sources:• Design new source
• Experiment with ratio of methane to argon flow
• Determine optimum frequency and power for new source
• Elemental analysis by Gas Chromatography (GC)– Literature research – analytical methods
– GC performance check
– GC automation
Improvements on previous year:
• Unclear assumptions towards calculations.
• Equipment
• Gas Chromatograph
• System Leaks
Gantt Chart - OverallLiterature Research
All
System CheckCheck for leaksObtain GC samplerPerformance check
Sean and Shama
Plasma SourceSource Design
Van and Theo
ConstructionAll
ExperimentationExperiment
All
Data AnalysisAll
Final ReportResearchWritingEditing
All
Final PresentationVisualsPreparation
MayJanuary February March AprilSeptember October November December
Gantt Chart - October
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Literature
Gas ChromatographObtain PartsPerformance check
Experimental AnalysisDesign ConsiderationsConstruction and Testing Van and Theo
October
Sean/All
ShamaSean
Van and Theo