Hydrogen generation in a microhollow cathode discharge in high-pressure ammonia-argon gas mixtures

We explored the feasibility of using a single flow-through microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) as a non-thermal plasma source for hydrogen (H2) production for portable fuel cell applications. The MHCD device consisted of two thin metal electrodes separated by a mica spacer with a single-hole, roughly 100 [mu]m in diameter, through all three layers. The efficiency of the MHCD reactor for H2 generation from NH3 was analyzed by monitoring the products formed in the discharge in a mass spectrometer. Using a gas mixture of up to 10% NH3 in Ar at pressures up to one atmosphere, the MHCD reactor achieved a maximum ammonia conversion of slightly more than 20%. The overall power efficiency of the MHCD reactor reached a peak value of about 11%. The dependence of NH3 conversion and power efficiency on the residence time of the gas in the MHCD plasma was studied. Experiments using pulsed excitation of the MHCD plasma indicated that pulsing can increase the power efficiency. Design and operating criteria are proposed for a microplasma-based H2 generator that can achieve a power efficiency above the break-even point, i.e., a microplasma reactor that requires less electrical power to generate and maintain the plasma than the power that can be obtained from the conversion of the H2 generated in the microplasma reactor.