Plasma reforming of methane in a tunable ferroelectric packed-bed dielectric barrier discharge reactor

In a tunable circular parallel plate dielectric barrier discharge reactor with pellets of a ferroelectric material separating the electrodes we investigate the plasma reforming of methane trying to maximize both the reaction yield and the energetic efficiency of the process. The geometrical configuration of the reactor (gap between electrodes, active electrode area) and the ferroelectric pellet size have been systematically varied to determine their influence on the process efficiency. The comparison between wet (with H2O as reactant), oxidative (with O2), and dry (with CO2) reforming reactions reveals a higher efficiency for the former with CO + H2 as main reaction products. The maximum energetic efficiency EE, defined as the produced number of litres of H2 per kWh, found for optimized working conditions at low-level applied power is higher than the up to date best-known results. A comprehensive discussion of the influence of the different parameters affecting the reaction yield is carried out.