Plasma-induced hydrogen production from water

摘要

A process for producing hydrogen for direct use as a fuel or for input to a fuel cell from dissociating H₂O in a plasma reformer with hydrocarbon fuel acting as an initiator. The molar ratio of water to hydrocarbon fuel in the input mixture for reactions, and therefore the production of hydrogen from water, increases with the carbon number of the hydrocarbon fuel. Steps in the process include: mixing and vaporizing an H₂O and hydrocarbon fuel mixture in an atomization/evaporation chamber, further heating the mixture in a rotating-flow buffer chamber, dissociating H₂O and hydrocarbon fuel in a plasma reformer, converting carbon monoxide and H₂O to hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a water shift reactor and optionally conditioning the reformate stream by removing carbon dioxide and by purifying hydrogen.