Numerical simulation of methane conversion to acetylene in plasma jet reactor
Methane conversion to acetylene in a plasma jet reactor was studied.The k-e two equations model was employed to simulate transport phenomena in the reactor, and macro kinetics of the series of pyrolysis reactions was introduced into the model.The coupled model of transport model and kinetics was calculated by using the CFD method, and distributions of velocity, mass fraction, temperature and reaction rates in the reactor were obtained.It was shown that the structure of funnel was beneficial to heat and mass transport to complete the pyrolysis of methane.Methane and ethylene were pyrolyzed mainly on the temperature mixing surface, and the mass fraction of carbon increased along the reactor axis.In this funnel reactor, when the power of plasma generator was 100 kW and the volume flow rate of methane was 10 m~3·h ~ -1 ,the conversion rate of methane reached 100% and the yield of acetylene reached the maximum also.The experimental results obtained were considerably consistent with the simulation results.