Modeling and Simulation of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Reactor for Nitrogen Fixation Reaction

B.S. Patil[1], Q. Wang[2], V. Hessel[2], J. Lang[3]
[1]Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
[2]Micro Flow Chemistry and Process Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
[3]Innovation Management, Verfahrenstechnik & Engineering, Evonik Industries AG, Hanau-Wolfgang, Germany
Published in 2013

Fixed nitrogen is used in many forms ranging from nitric acid to hydrogen cyanide and is used as such for industrial applications. The reactions to produce these products are highly endothermic and favored by high-temperature processing. The most basic route of chemically fixing nitrogen is the direct reaction of nitrogen and oxygen. However, the major challenge is to supply very high dissociation energy for nitrogen. The main objective of this project is to develop an energy efficient fixation process for nitric oxide synthesis by using catalyst in assistance with plasma. COMSOL Multiphysics® is used to simulate and understand the plasma NO synthesis reaction and transport phenomena inside plasma reactor. These results will be used to optimize the placement of the catalyst and to develop a holistic process design.

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