Ammonia Decomposition in a Gliding Discharge Plasma

Abstract

The negative impact of conventional fuels on the environment forces us to search for alternative energy sources. One of them is hydrogen. The only product of its combustion is water; however, transportation and storage are the problems. A solution could be ammonia which has a chemical hydrogen storage capacity as high as 17.8 wt%. NH 3 as chemical energy storage can be used only if an efficient, rapid, and inexpensive method for its decomposition is known. Herein, the aim is to investigate the effect of gliding discharge plasma on the ammonia decomposition reaction. The novelty of this research is the use of high flow rates and high ammonia concentrations at the same time. The lowest energy consumption and the highest reaction rates of ammonia decomposition are obtained by using undiluted ammonia.