The present disclosure is related to the field of chemistry and provides methods and devices for stimulation of endothermic reactions in gas phase with high activation barriers by nanosecond pulsed electrical discharge. It can be used for, e.g., CO.sub.2 functionalization of methane, H.sub.2S dissociation, hydrogen and syngas production, for processing ammonia synthesis and dissociation, etc. Some embodiments include methods and devices associated with the stimulation of plasma chemical reactions with nanosecond pulse electric discharge in the presence of gas flow.

A universal chemical processor (UCP) including a reactor vessel having a central longitudinal axis and main chamber comprises a first inlet port for a main feedstock, a second inlet port for a fluidizing medium and a third inlet port for one or more reactants. The UCP also includes a reactive radioactive chemical processor (R.sup.2CP) that contains a radioactive element positioned extending along the longitudinal axis in the main chamber. In operation, a fluidized bed can be supported in the main chamber when a fluidizing medium and feedstock are supplied to the main chamber through the first and second inlet ports and the radioactive element of the R.sup.2CP emits ionizing radiation that is capable of ionizing feedstock and reactants, inducing chemical reactions, and sterilizing and decomposing any organic materials within a radiation zone.

A device and a process to propagate molecular growth of hydrocarbons, either straight or branched chain structures, that naturally occur in the gas phase of a first gas to gas phase molecules of a second gas having higher molecular chain lengths than the hydrocarbons of the first gas. According to one embodiment, the device includes a grounded reactor vessel having a gas inlet, a product outlet, and an electrode within the vessel; a power supply coupled to the electrode for creating an electrostatic field within the vessel for converting the first gas to a second gas.

The disclosure deals with system/apparatus and corresponding and/or associated method for an open plasma reactor assembly provided to study pulsed reactive species produced in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in He—H.sub.2O and He—H.sub.2O—O.sub.2 mixture in atmospheric conditions using photo fragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PFLIF). The objective is to detect and quantify hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide produced in the DBD. An OH laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) signal is acquired from LIF (using 282 nm laser) whereas LIF from OH generated from H.sub.2O.sub.2 is measured by from the PFLIF signal (using 213 nm+ 282 nm lasers). A known concentration of H.sub.2O.sub.2 in He serves to calibrate for H.sub.2O.sub.2 while the OH is calibrated with a chemical model. For both gas mixtures, there is both OH and H.sub.2O.sub.2 production in the discharge, while the H.sub.2O.sub.2 concentration was noticeably increased for the added O.sub.2 case.

A process for continuously upgrading heavy oil to produce light hydrocarbon gases which are recycled in the process as a carrier gas used in spark-discharge hydrocarbon cracking within the process. The process also produces light hydrocarbon liquids which are used to upgrade the heavy oil. An apparatus for continuously upgrading heavy oil to produce light hydrocarbon gases which are recycled in the as a carrier gas used in spark-discharge hydrocarbon cracking within the apparatus. The apparatus also produces light hydrocarbon liquids which are used to upgrade the heavy oil.

A process for continuously upgrading heavy oil to produce light hydrocarbon gases which are recycled in the process as a carrier gas used in spark-discharge hydrocarbon cracking within the process. The process also produces light hydrocarbon liquids which are used to upgrade the heavy oil. An apparatus for continuously upgrading heavy oil to produce light hydrocarbon gases which are recycled in the as a carrier gas used in spark-discharge hydrocarbon cracking within the apparatus. The apparatus also produces light hydrocarbon liquids which are used to upgrade the heavy oil.

The present invention relates to a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor comprising a catalyst bed for CO.sub.X hydrogenation in a discharge region; and a method to produce light hydrocarbons from a CO.sub.X-containing gas mixture in the DBD plasma reactor. In the DBD plasma reactor for a CO.sub.X hydrogenation reaction, the catalyst for CO.sub.X hydrogenation comprises a catalytically active component on a mesoporous support that is a dielectric. When the DBD plasma reactor for a CO.sub.X hydrogenation reaction according to the present invention is used, it is possible to convert by-product gases or waste gases into higher-value-added chemical products without additional heat supply from the outside.

An in-liquid plasma generation device includes a housing which holds a liquid in an internal space, a gas supply tube which includes an opening in the internal space and discharges a gas into the liquid through the opening, a first electrode which has projecting part projecting into the internal space via the opening from inside of the gas supply tube, the projecting part including a conductor covered by a dielectric, a second electrode which surrounds the projecting part of the first electrode and includes a conductor isolated from the liquid by a dielectric, and a voltage applier which applies a voltage to between the first electrode and the second electrode. A space between the projecting part and the second electrode is a flow passage in which the gas discharged from the opening flows.

A method and a device are proposed for plasma-chemical conversion of gas or gas mixture using a pulsed electrical discharge. They allow increasing efficiency of the process for converting gas/gas mixture into desired products by stimulating forward reactions and minimizing reverse reactions. This is achieved by converting the gas/gas mixture using a pulsed electrical discharge in the form of hot plasma channels formed between electrodes in the moving flow of gas/gas mixture, wherein the ratio of the flow velocity to the average discharge current falls within the following range: 250 J/(m.sup.3*A.sup.2)<ρ*V.sup.2/I.sup.2<4,000 J/(m.sup.3*A.sup.2), where ρ is the density of gas/gas mixture in a reaction chamber (kg/m3), V is the flow velocity of gas/gas mixture in the reaction chamber (m/s), and I is the average current of the pulsed electrical discharge (A).

In order to attain an efficient decomposition process by water plasma, a decomposition processor includes a water plasma generator which is configured to inject water plasma, from the injection port, by arc discharge generated between negative and positive electrodes; and a supply device configured to supply a decomposition target object to a water plasma jet stream injected from the water plasma generator, wherein the decomposition target object is decomposed by the water plasma. The supply device has a nozzle for providing the decomposition target object from a tip, and the negative electrode, the injection port, the positive electrode and the nozzle are arranged in that order along the center axis line of the injection port. The tip of the nozzle is placed inside of the water plasma jet stream.