Chemcal reaction analysis of the formation of hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen in water-spray gliding arc reactors

Gliding arc discharges formed in flowing gases containing water droplets sprayed into the plasma leads to the generation of hydrogen peroxide and molecular hydrogen as well as other species. Such discharges may be import for a number of applications in energy and the environment. It is currently known that the temperature of the active plasma in such discharges can be very high and that the temperature can vary from 7000 K to 2000 K as the gas flows through the plasma zones. However, the mechanisms for the formation of the resulting chemical species in the presence of water spray are not well understood. The present work seeks to utilize kinetic modeling of high temperature water reactions to study possible routes for the formation of hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen, and oxygen in gliding arc plasma. The mathematical model utilizes a plug flow reactor approach with specified temperature profiles and it includes high temperature water reactions previously studied in aqueous phase pulsed corona discharges. The modeling results are compared to recent experimental data.