Records |
Author |
Van Alphen, S.; Jardali, F.; Creel, J.; Trenchev, G.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. |
Title |
Sustainable gas conversion by gliding arc plasmas: a new modelling approach for reactor design improvement |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Sustainable energy & fuels |
Abbreviated Journal |
Sustainable Energy Fuels |
Volume |
5 |
Issue |
6 |
Pages |
1786-1800 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
Abstract |
Research in plasma reactor designs is developing rapidly as plasma technology is gaining increasing interest for sustainable gas conversion applications, like the conversion of greenhouse gases into value-added chemicals and renewable fuels, and fixation of N<sub>2</sub>from air into precursors of mineral fertilizer. As plasma is generated by electric power and can easily be switched on/off, these applications allows for efficient conversion and energy storage of intermittent renewable electricity. In this paper, we present a new comprehensive modelling approach for the design and development of gliding arc plasma reactors, which reveals the fluid dynamics, the arc behaviour and the plasma chemistry by solving a unique combination of five complementary models. This results in a complete description of the plasma process, which allows one to efficiently evaluate the performance of a reactor and indicate possible design improvements before actually building it. We demonstrate the capabilities of this method for an experimentally validated study of plasma-based NO<sub>x</sub>formation in a rotating gliding arc reactor, which is gaining increasing interest as a flexible, electricity-driven alternative for the Haber–Bosch process. The model demonstrates the importance of the vortex flow and the presence of a recirculation zone in the reactor, as well as the formation of hot spots in the plasma near the cathode pin and the anode wall that are responsible for most of the NO<sub>x</sub>formation. The model also reveals the underlying plasma chemistry and the vibrational non-equilibrium that exists due to the fast cooling during each arc rotation. Good agreement with experimental measurements on the studied reactor design proves the predictive capabilities of our modelling approach. |
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Wos |
000631643300013 |
Publication Date |
2021-02-22 |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2398-4902 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
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Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, GoF9618n ; Vlaamse regering, HBC.2019.0107 ; European Research Council, 810182 ; This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWOFNRS 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), the 1798 | Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2021, 5, 1786–1800 |
Approved ![sorted by Approved field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:177540 |
Serial |
6745 |
Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Jardali, F.; Van Alphen, S.; Creel, J.; Ahmadi Eshtehardi, H.; Axelsson, M.; Ingels, R.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. |
Title |
NOxproduction in a rotating gliding arc plasma: potential avenue for sustainable nitrogen fixation |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Green Chemistry |
Abbreviated Journal |
Green Chem |
Volume |
23 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
1748-1757 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
Abstract |
The fast growing world population demands food to survive, and nitrogen-based fertilizers are essential to ensure sufficient food production. Today, fertilizers are mainly produced from non-sustainable fossil fuels<italic>via</italic>the Haber–Bosch process, leading to serious environmental problems. We propose here a novel rotating gliding arc plasma, operating in air, for direct NO<sub>x</sub>production, which can yield high nitrogen content organic fertilizers without pollution associated with ammonia emission. We explored the efficiency of NO<sub>x</sub>production in a wide range of feed gas ratios, and for two arc modes: rotating and steady. When the arc is in steady mode, record-value NO<sub>x</sub>concentrations up to 5.5% are achieved which are 1.7 times higher than the maximum concentration obtained by the rotating arc mode, and with an energy consumption of 2.5 MJ mol<sup>−1</sup>(or<italic>ca.</italic>50 kW h kN<sup>−1</sup>);<italic>i.e.</italic>the lowest value so far achieved by atmospheric pressure plasma reactors. Computer modelling, using a combination of five different complementary approaches, provides a comprehensive picture of NO<sub>x</sub>formation in both arc modes; in particular, the higher NO<sub>x</sub>production in the steady arc mode is due to the combined thermal and vibrationally-promoted Zeldovich mechanisms. |
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Wos |
000629630600021 |
Publication Date |
2021-01-28 |
Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
1463-9262 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
9.125 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, GoF9618n 30505023 ; H2020 European Research Council, 810182 ; This research was supported by a Bilateral Project with N2 Applied, the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023) and by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project). 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. We also thank J.-L. Liu for the RGA design, L. Van ‘t dack and K. Leyssens for MS calibration and practical support, and K. Van ‘t Veer for the fruitful discussions on plasma kinetic modelling and for calculating the electron energy losses. |
Approved ![sorted by Approved field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
Most recent IF: 9.125 |
Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:176022 |
Serial |
6678 |
Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Hollevoet, L.; Jardali, F.; Gorbanev, Y.; Creel, J.; Bogaerts, A.; Martens, J.A. |
Title |
Towards green ammonia synthesis through plasma-driven nitrogen oxidation and catalytic reduction |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2020 |
Publication |
Angewandte Chemie-International Edition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Angew Chem Int Edit |
Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
Abstract |
Ammonia is an industrial large-volume chemical, with its main application in fertilizer production. It also attracts increasing attention as a green-energy vector. Over the past century, ammonia production has been dominated by the Haber-Bosch process, in which a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen gas is converted to ammonia at high temperatures and pressures. Haber-Bosch processes with natural gas as the source of hydrogen are responsible for a significant share of the global CO(2)emissions. Processes involving plasma are currently being investigated as an alternative for decentralized ammonia production powered by renewable energy sources. In this work, we present the PNOCRA process (plasma nitrogen oxidation and catalytic reduction to ammonia), combining plasma-assisted nitrogen oxidation and lean NO(x)trap technology, adopted from diesel-engine exhaust gas aftertreatment technology. PNOCRA achieves an energy requirement of 4.6 MJ mol(-1)NH(3), which is more than four times less than the state-of-the-art plasma-enabled ammonia synthesis from N(2)and H(2)with reasonable yield (>1 %). |
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Wos |
000580489400001 |
Publication Date |
2020-09-21 |
Series Editor |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
1433-7851; 0570-0833 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
16.6 |
Times cited |
1 |
Open Access |
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Notes |
; We gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the Flemish Government through the Moonshot cSBO project P2C (HBC.2019.0108). J.A.M. and A.B. acknowledge the Flemish Government for long-term structural funding (Methusalem). ; |
Approved ![sorted by Approved field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
Most recent IF: 16.6; 2020 IF: 11.994 |
Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:173589 |
Serial |
6634 |
Permanent link to this record |
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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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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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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 ![sorted by Approved field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
Most recent IF: 15.1 |
Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:188283 |
Serial |
7057 |
Permanent link to this record |