| Record |
| Author |
Van Alphen, S.; Ahmadi Eshtehardi, H.; O'Modhrain, C.; Bogaerts, J.; Van Poyer, H.; Creel, J.; Delplancke, M.-P.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. |
| Title |
Effusion nozzle for energy-efficient NOx production in a rotating gliding arc plasma reactor |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year  |
2022 |
Publication |
Chemical Engineering Journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
Chem Eng J |
| Volume |
443 |
Issue |
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Pages |
136529 |
| Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
| Abstract |
Plasma-based NOx production is of interest for sustainable N2 fixation, but more research is needed to improve its performance. One of the current limitations is recombination of NO back into N2 and O2 molecules immediately after the plasma reactor. Therefore, we developed a novel so-called “effusion nozzle”, to improve the performance of a rotating gliding arc plasma reactor for NOx production, but the same principle can also be applied to other plasma types. Experiments in a wide range of applied power, gas flow rates and N2/O2 ratios demonstrate an enhancement in NOx concentration by about 8%, and a reduction in energy cost by 22.5%. In absolute terms, we obtain NOx concentrations up to 5.9%, at an energy cost down to 2.1 MJ/mol, which are the best values reported to date in literature. In addition, we developed four complementary models to describe the gas flow, plasma temperature and plasma chemistry, aiming to reveal why the effusion nozzle yields better performance. Our simulations reveal that the effusion nozzle acts as very efficient heat sink, causing a fast drop in gas temperature when the gas molecules leave the plasma, hence limiting the recombination of NO back into N2 and O2. This yields an overall higher NOx concentration than without the effusion nozzle. This immediate quenching right at the end of the plasma makes our effusion nozzle superior to more conventional cooling options, like water cooling In addition, this higher NOx concentration can be obtained at a slightly lower power, because the effusion nozzle allows for the ignition and sustainment of the plasma at somewhat lower power. Hence, this also explains the lower energy cost. Overall, our experimental results and detailed modeling analysis will be useful to improve plasma-based NOx production in other plasma reactors as well. |
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Wos |
000800010600003 |
Publication Date |
0000-00-00 |
| Series Editor |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1385-8947 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
| Impact Factor |
15.1 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
| Notes |
This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project), and through long-term structural funding (Methusalem). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 15.1 |
| Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:188283 |
Serial |
7057 |
| Permanent link to this record |
