Decomposition of dichloroethane in a plasma arcjet reactor: experiment and modeling

Summary form only given. A plasma arcjet reactor has been constructed to study the fundamental reaction kinetics for decomposition of hazardous liquids. The arcjet was operated at a power level of 1.5 kW and an argon flow rate of 17.5 LPM. The temperature profile of the plasma jet was measured using an enthalpy probe and the maximum temperature measured in the plasma jet was 1850/spl deg/C. A surrogate liquid waste, 1,2 dichloroethane, was injected into the plasma jet and the decomposition byproducts were monitored using a residual gas analyzer. A removal efficiency greater than 99% was obtained. The temperature profile was used to model the arcjet as a non-isothermal tubular now reactor.