A laboratory plasma reactor has been designed and manufactured for the Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering of Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Department of Boilers, Combustion, and Energy Processes). The device is a prototype of a plasma device currently being developed for the purification of process gases from tar. The essence of the process lies in high-temperature plasma and the resulting free radicals, ions, and high-energy electrons that have the ability to break down long hydrocarbon chains into shorter ones. Microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure can reach temperatures in the range of 2000-6000 K.
The synthesis gas is introduced into the process tube in a swirling manner through a specially designed head, where the plasma is ignited. It is blown into a quartz tube. The length of the plasma tongue varies depending on the raw material composition in the range of 15 to 50 cm. The device is equipped with tuning systems for microwave adjustment depending on operating conditions. The reflectometer indicates the current values of the input and reflected wave power. The head and circulators are water-cooled, and the generators are air-cooled. Additionally, the quartz tube is cooled by three fans.
Technical Parameters of the Device
| Microwave power | 4 kW |
| Microwave frequency | f = 2,45 GHz |
| Gas flow rate | 1 - 10 m3/h |
| Quartz tube | Φ30 x 2 mm, dł. 600 mm |
| Number of magnetrons | 2 |
| Number of circulators | 2 |
| Number of microwave reflectometers | 1 |
| Additional features | inlet nozzle for post-process gases for research |
Visualization of the plasma head