New Glid-ARc Plasmatron device for on-board plasma-assisted reforming of JP-8 fuels for auxiliary power units

The Glid-Arc Plasmatron is a well known non-equilibrium plasma-assisted fuel reforming device. In this investigation, it has been modified to operate as part of an integrated system with a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to create a complete plasma-assisted on-board auxiliary power unit (APU). The GA-Plasmatron utilizes part of the SOFC exhaust stream, which includes CO₂ and H₂O, and an internal heat exchanger recuperates heat at temperatures near 850 C. By recycling heat and a portion of the SOFC exhaust, it is possible to promote endothermic steam reforming reactions and boost hydrogen yields above what is possible in the partial oxidation (POX) regime. The composition of the SOFC exhaust stream was 5.7% H₂, 34.5% H₂O, 6.8% CO, 36.3% CO₂, 16.7% N₂ and was created under laboratory conditions using several mass flow controllers and a water evaporation system. The total recycle stream flow rate was varied as was the oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratio and the H₂O/C ratio. Low sulfur Diesel fuel was evaporated and premixed with the preheated SOFC recycle stream just before it entered the plasma reaction chamber. Preliminary results show some improvement over traditional POX results; however, traditional catalysts may be employed in future experiments to satisfy the high-quality reformate requirement for current SOFCs. The GA Plasmatron On-board APU system has both military and commercial applications where personnel with electrical equipment are stationed in remote areas with limited or restricted access to fuel. The successful application of this technology is estimated to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as compared to traditional internal combustion-based APU systems.