Production of Hydrogen-Rich Syngas from Dimethyl Ether by Using a Microwave Steam Plasma

摘要

Dimethyl ether (DME) is disintegrated by a microwave steam-plasma raising the gas temperature in a reaction chamber of 100 liters in a swirl-type gasifier. With additional heating of DME by partial oxidation, the gasifier temperature reaches 1250 degrees C. The initial breakdown species of DME molecules are hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane, which eventually disintegrate to CO and H-2 by steam modification at temperatures higher than 1200 degrees C. The relative concentrations of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide produced solely from DME modification by steam were 67.5 percent, 30.3 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively, achieving a conversion rate of 88 percent at a temperature of 1058 degrees C. The total energy efficiency of the present experiment was 81 percent.