Hydrogen production from dimethyl ether using corona discharge plasma

Dimethyl ether (DME), with its non-toxic character, high H/C ratio and high-energy volumetric density, is an ideal resource for hydrogen production. In this work, hydrogen production from the decomposition of DME using corona discharge has been studied. The corona discharge plasma decomposition was conducted at ambient conditions. The effects of dilution gas (argon), flow rate, frequency and waveforms on the DME decomposition were investigated. The addition of dilution gas can significantly increase the hydrogen production rate. The highest hydrogen production rate with the lowest energy consumption presents at the flow rate of 27.5 Nml min(-1). AC voltage is more favored than DC voltage for the production of hydrogen with less energy input. The optimal frequency is 2.0 kHz. The hydrogen production rate is also affected by the input waveform and decreases as following: sinusoid triangular > sinusoid > ramp > square, whereas the sinusoid waveform, shows the highest energy efficiency. The corona discharge decomposition of DME is leading to a simple, easy and convenient hydrogen production with no needs of catalyst and external heating. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.