On a possible mechanism of the methane steam reforming in a gliding arc reactor

This work is dedicated to the study of methane steam reforming (SR) using a rotating discharge reactor. The process efficiency is described in terms of methane conversion, SR selectivity, energy input and hydrogen production cost. The experiments clearly demonstrated the ability of glidarc to accelerate chemical reactions at low temperatures and with very low energetic costs. A good approximation model describing the chemical processes on the basis of classical thermodynamics is also proposed. The analysis gives information on reactor design in order to improve its chemical performances. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.