Journal of Aeronautics & Aerospace Engineering
Open Access

Application of syngas as main fuel of engine-generator with plasma assisted reforming and combustion for life support systems of stationary extra-terrestrial stations

3^rd International Conference and Exhibition on Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

October 05-07, 2015 San Francisco, USA

Aliaksandr Pilatau, Olena Nozhenko, Heorhi A Viarshyna, H S Medeiros and G Petraconi Filho

Technological Institute of Aeronautics, Brazil Volodymyr Dahl East-Ukrainian National University, Ukraine Belarusian National Technical University, Belarus

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Aeronaut Aerospace Eng

Abstract :

One of the main processes for life support systems is fuel production and combustion for energy production along with oxygen generation and steam generation. For manufacturing a propellant on Mars, methane combustion in oxygen with the stoichiometric ratio of oxidizer and fuel of 2:1 is proposed. However, one pass through the Sabatier reactor produces a ratio of methane: oxygen of only 1:1. In the syngas (synthesis gas) combustion, it can produce heat from dry or steam reforming process of a hydrocarbon feedstock when oxygen oxidation is used as the main fuel for the power unit. For the reforming process, CO2 (from Mars atmosphere) or H2O (from Sabatier reactor) can be used as carrier gas in plasma feedstock reactor. Calculations of the stoichiometric ratios of different syngas compositions showed that the value of (syngas): (O2) stoichiometric ratio that can be achieved is of the range (0.17-0.32):1 and this ratio depends on the syngas composition, in comparison to (CH4): (O2) stoichiometric ratio. However, the composition of the produced syngas has low heat values between 4-20 MJ/ kg, which is around 2.4-10.1 times less than methane. It creates a necessity to increase the amount of fuel and the amount of oxygen in the syngas combustion in order to provide the same heat values as provided in the methane combustion to the engine power. In addition, the ratio of the oxygen produced to oxygen consumed in the combustion has to be decreased to values of about (0.58-1.07):1. However, the ratio can be increased by decreasing the lower flammable limit of syngas through plasma assisted combustion.

Biography :

Email: pilligrimm2006@yandex.ru