Effect of methane on the conversion of HFC-134a in a dielectric barrier discharge non-equilibrium plasma reactor

Sazal K. Kundu, Eric M. Kennedy, John C. Mackie, Clovia I. Holdsworth, Thomas S. Molloy, Vaibhav V. Gaikwad, Bogdan Z. Dlugogorski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The effect of methane on the conversion of HFC-134a (CF3CH2F) in a dielectric barrier discharge non-equilibrium plasma reactor was examined. Reactions were conducted in an argon bath gas and in the absence of oxygen and nitrogen. The products of the reaction include H2, HF, CHF3, CH2F2, C2H6, C3H8, C2H3F, CHF2CHF2, C2H4F2, C3H7F as well as a polymeric solid deposit. The polymeric materials are predominantly fluorine containing random copolymers, which can be categorised as fluoropolymers, constituted from various functional groups including CF3, CF2, CHF, CHF2, CH2F, CH2 and CH3. While the presence of methane in the feed stream reduces the conversion level of CF3CH2F, it also modifies the polymer architecture. The addition of 1.25% methane with 12.5% CF3CH2F in an argon bath gas at 100cm3min-1 feed rate reduces the conversion of CF3CH2F from 74.5% to 46.8% and increases the formation of HF from 1500μmolh-1 to 2640μmolh-1. The effect of methane addition on the electrical discharge and the reaction pathways are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)412-421
Number of pages10
JournalChemical Engineering Journal
Volume284
Issue numberJanuary
Early online date3 Sept 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jan 2016
Externally publishedYes

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