Numerical modelling of a low power non-transferred arc plasma reactor for methane conversion

Thermal flow characteristics and the methane conversion reaction in a low power arc plasma reactor for efficient storage and transport of methane, which is the main component of shale gas, were simulated. The temperature and velocity distributions were calculated according to the type of discharge gases and arc current level by a self-developed magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code and a commercial ANSYS-FLUENT code; the transport of chemical species was analyzed as including the chemical reactions of methane conversion. The simulated results were verified by the comparison of calculated and measured arc voltages with permissible low error as under 4%. Three C₂ hydrocarbon gases with ethane (C₂H₆), ethylene (C₂H₄), and acetylene (C₂H₂) were selected as the converted species of methane from experimental data. The mass fraction of C₂ hydrocarbons and hydrogen as the product of the conversion reaction at the reactor was also calculated. Those values show good agreement with the actual experimental results in that the major conversion reaction occurred in C₂H₂ and hydrogen, and the conversions to C₂H₆, C₂H₄, and hydrogen were minor reactions of methane pyrolysis conversion.     

大气压下大功率等离子体炬的数值模拟

主要研究直流等离子体炬的数值模拟方法,通过求解等离子体弧社区域的能量守恒,动量守恒,质量守恒及电流连续性方程,得到不同边界条件下温度,速度,电流密度分布,计算了大气压下２００Ａ自由氩弧的温度分布,电势和电流分布,并与实验数据及现有的理论计算进行了比较,得到了较好的结果,在此基础上结合本实验室５０００Ａ大功率等离子体炬,讨论了有阴极喷口存在下的弧柱部分的数值计算,以及能量守恒方程中辐射项,焦耳热项的     

Influence of Plasma Temperature on the Concentration of NO Produced by Pulsed Arc Discharge

This study conducted experiments on producing inhaled medical nitric oxide （iNO） by pulsed arc discharge in dry and clean air under different discharge current. The concentration of NO and NO2 produced by air discharge, as well as the change of the ratio of NO2/NO under different discharge current were investigated. Through the analysis of plasma emission spectrum, the relationship between discharge current and arc plasma temperature was studied. The results indicate that, as discharge current increases, the arc plasma temperature increases, which then leads to the increase of NO concentration, the decrease of NO2 concentration, and the rapid decrease of the ratio of NO2/NO. When the plasma temperature is 9000 K, the ratio of NO2/NO is approximately 60%, while when the plasma temperature varies between 10550 K and 11300 K, the NO2/NO ratio is within the range of 4.2% to 4.6%.     

Numerical simulation of constricted and diffusive arc–anode attachments in wall-stabilized transferred argon arcs

A numerical simulation is conducted to investigate arc–anode attachment behavior, especially the formation mechanism of the constricted arc attachment mode for the water-cooled anode of wall-stabilized transferred argon arcs. Argon molecular ions and the corresponding kinetic processes are included to the finite-rate chemistry model in order to capture the chemical nonequilibrium characteristics of the arc near the anode region. Modeling results show that constricted and diffusive arc–anode attachments can be self-consistently obtained at different arc currents while keeping other parameters unchanged. The dominant kinetic processes contributing to ionization and recombination in the arc center and fringes are presented. The results show that in arc fringes and the arc attachment region, molecular ion recombination plays an important role which leads to the rapid loss of electrons. The radial evolution of the production, loss and transport processes of electrons is further analyzed. It is found that for the constricted arc attachment mode, both the recombination and convection transport caused by the anode jet result in the loss of electrons at the arc fringes, which leads to the shrinkage of the arc column at the anode. The formation of the anode jet is due to the combined action of radial and axial Lorentz forces in the anode region.     

Discussion on the Non-Equilibrium Phase of the Gliding Arc Plasma Driven by the Transverse Magnetic Field

a gliding arc driven by the transverse magnetic field was ignited between the electrodes with a complicated shape at atmospheric pressure and a non-equilibrium plasma was gencrated. Under our experimental conditions, a phenomenon was clearly observed where the arc power decreased with the increase in arc voltage. As the arc voltage was higher than 3.375 kV, the are power acquired from the power supply decreased, and the arc plasma began to switch to a non-equilibrium phase. The existence of the non-equilibrium arc plasma was very short, about 10 ms in one gliding arc discharge cycle.     

Numerical simulation of the effects of protrusion on DC arc anode attachment

The attachment of the DC arc on the anode is usually affected by surface morphology such as protrusions due to ablation or melting deformation.A three-dimensional thermodynamic and chemical non-equilibrium model is used to numerically simulate the effect of artificially assumed surface protrusions on the arc anode attachment.The numerical simulation results show that the arc deflects toward the protrusions on the anode and attaches to them in a constricted mode,resulting in an increase in the temperature of the arc attachment region.The analysis shows that the presence of protrusion on the anode surface changes the electric field distribution,intensifies the degree of thermodynamic and chemical non-equilibrium in its vicinity,further influences the chemical kinetic process of the plasma around it,which is the main reason for the deflection of the arc toward the protrusions and the arc anode attachment in a constricted mode.In order to verify the numerical simulation results,verification experiments are also performed using similar size scale anode protrusion,and the results showed that the presence of protrusion can indeed cause the deflection of the arc and even cause the ablation of the protrusion.     

Numerical Simulation of Low Current Vacuum Arc Supersonic Flow

Based on a two-dimensional axisymmetric magneto-hydrodynamic （MHD） model, low current vacuum arc （LCVA） characteristics are studied. The influence of cathode process under different axial magnetic fields and different anode radii on LCVA characteristics is also simulated. The results show that the influence of both cathode process and anode radii on LCVA is significant. The sign of anode sheath potentials can change from negative to positive with the decrease of anode radii. The simulation results are in part verified by experimental results. Especially, as the effect of ion kinetic energy is considered, ion temperature is improved significantly; which is in agreement with experimental results.     

Numerical Simulation of the Eddy Current Effects on the Arc Splitting Process

This paper focuses on a numerical simulation of the arc plasma behavior in the arc splitting process, considering the eddy currents in the electrodes and the splitter plate. Based on three-dimensional (3D) magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) theory, a thin layer of nonlinear electrical resistance elements is used in the model to represent the voltage drop of plasma sheath and the formation of new arc root in order to include the arc splitting process in the simulation. In the arcing process, eddy currents in metal parts are generated by a time-varying magnetic field. The arc model is calculated with the time-varying magnetic field term, so that the eddy current effects can be considered. The effect of nonlinear permeability of a ferromagnetic material is also involved in the calculation. Using the simulation results for the temperature, velocity and current density distribution, the arc splitting process is analyzed in detail. The calculated results are compared with the simulation neglecting eddy currents.     

The Dynamic Volt-Ampere Characteristics of a Vacuum Arc at Intermediate-Frequency Under a Transverse Magnetic Field

In this study, the changes of a vacuum arc’s appearance were observed and the volt-ampere characteristics of the vacuum arc at intermediate frequency were analyzed under a transverse magnetic field (TMF). The TMF and phase shift time were calculated by using the TMF contact model and the large phase shift of the magnetic field at a higher frequency was conductive to the dispersion process of residual plasma. The arc velocity was higher at 800 Hz than at 400 Hz. It can be inferred that TMF will encourage arc movement at 800 Hz. Moreover, the arc movement has an impact on the arc voltage. Because of the increasing length of the arc column with a high arc velocity, the elongated arc causes the arc voltage to increase. Specifically, the volt-ampere characteristics of the vacuum arc are divided into three stages in this paper. The higher the frequency, the greater the initial rate of rise in the arc voltage and the larger the area surrounded by arc volt-ampere characteristics. The correlations between the arc voltage and the amplitude and frequency of the current are also presented.     

光化学法锂同位素分离中化学反应速率常数测量

氢气与锂蒸气的化学反应速率常数是激光化学法锂同位素分离过程的一个重要参数。本文以可调谐半导体激光器为工具,通过监测锂原子蒸气对光的吸收测量原子蒸气密度的相对变化,建立了一种测量该速率常数的方法。在光化学锂同位素分离的典型条件下测得化学反应速率常数为9.0×10^-22 m³/s。该数值对于未来锂同位素分离装置中激光照射时间和氢气密度等参数的选择具有重要指导意义。     

A novel fault current limiter topology design based on liquid metal current limiter

The liquid metal current limiter (LMCL) is regarded as a viable solution for reducing the fault current in a power grid. But demonstrating the liquid metal arc plasma self-pinching process of the resistive wall, and reducing the erosion of the LMCL are challenging, not only theoretically, but also practically. In this work, a novel LMCL is designed with a resistive wall that can be connected to the current-limiting circuit inside the cavity. Specifically, a novel fault current limiter (FCL) topology is put forward where the novel LMCL is combined with a fast switch and current-limiting reactor. Further, the liquid metal self-pinch effect is modeled mathematically in three dimensions, and the gas-liquid two-phase dynamic diagrams under different short-circuit currents are obtained by simulation. The simulation results indicate that with the increase of current, the time for the liquid metal-free surface to begin depressing is reduced, and the position of the depression also changes. Different kinds of bubbles formed by the depressions gradually extend, squeeze, and break. With the increase of current, the liquid metal takes less time to break, but breaks still occur at the edge of the channel, forming arc plasma. Finally, relevant experiments are conducted for the novel FCL topology. The arcing process and current transfer process are analyzed in particular. Comparisons of the peak arc voltage, arcing time, current limiting efficiency, and electrode erosion are presented. The results demonstrate that the arc voltage of the novel FCL topology is reduced by more than 4.5 times and the arcing time is reduced by more than 12%. The erosions of the liquid metal and electrodes are reduced. Moreover, the current limiting efficiency of the novel FCL topology is improved by 1%‒5%. This work lays a foundation for the topology and optimal design of the LMCL.     

~(237)Th的半衰期测量

利用 6 0MeV/u的18O离子束轰击天然铀靶 ,通过多核子转移反应生成重丰中子核素2 37Th ,由多步快速放射化学分离方法从被照射过的靶物质中分离出钍元素。观测到了2 37Th的子体2 37Paγ活性的生长及衰变行为 ,确定了2 37Th的存在 ,测得其半衰期为 (4.6 9± 0 .6 0 )min。     

三水草酸铀酰的红外激光化学

文章研究了三水草酸铀酰(UO_2C_2O_4·3H_2O)在兆瓦脉冲二氧化碳激光辐照下的红外激光化学反应,它与草酸铀酰的热分解反应不同,反应产物是二氧化铀和二氧化碳。反应的量子效率随激光波长不同而变化。