Low current plasmatron fuel converter having enlarged volume discharges
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsAlexander Rabinovich, Nikolai Alexeev, Leslie Bromberg, Daniel R. Cohn, Andrei Samokhin
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Abstract
A novel apparatus and method is disclosed for a plasmatron fuel converter (“plasmatron”) that efficiently uses electrical energy to produce hydrogen rich gas. The volume and shape of the plasma discharge is controlled by a fluid flow established in a plasma discharge volume. A plasmatron according to this invention produces a substantially large effective plasma discharge volume allowing for substantially greater volumetric efficiency in the initiation of chemical reactions within a volume of bulk fluid reactant flowing through the plasmatron.
Claims20
A method of plasma fuel conversion for producing a hydrogen-rich gas, comprising the steps of:
- positioning a first electrode and a second electrode such that a gap exists between them and a plasma discharge volume is formed;
- injecting a reactive mixture into said plasma discharge volume;
- supplying power to provide voltage and current sufficient to generate a plasma discharge within the plasma discharge volume and produce an ignited reactive mixture;
- introducing a fluid flow into said plasma discharge volume to stretch and deform said plasma discharge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.