Characteristics of high pressure nanosecond discharge in methane-containing gas mixtures

A nanosecond discharge of voltage up to 240 kV and pulse length of 10÷25 ns in mixtures of CH₄ and CO₂ at gas pressures up to 6 bar was investigated. For a pulse corona discharge and diffuse discharge from pointed cathodes, the dependences of the energy input in the gas on pressure, gas composition, and electrode geometry were obtained. It is demonstrated that the pulse energy of the diffuse discharge far exceeds the pulse energy of the corona discharge. The maximum specific energy input per pulse for the diffuse discharge was 0.5 J/cm³. The data obtained are necessary to determine the specific energy consumption for methane reforming and correct assessment of the efficiency of discharge technologies for processing natural gas. (paper)