Abstract: Methane conversion in gliding arc discharge plasma has been studied. The focus of this research is to develop a process of converting methane to C2 hydrocarbons. The influences of CH4 flow rate, input voltage and electrode gap on methane conversion were investigated. The results show that the apparent energy requirement(AER) is obviously increased by enhancing CH4 flow rate. The conversion of methane is improved by adjusting input voltage or electrode gap. And when the input voltage or electrode gap is large, the yield for C2 hydrocarbons decreases significantly. The unsaturated hydrocarbons are the main products of C2 hydrocarbons. Optimum conditions for producing C2 hydrocarbons from methane are suggested. A maximum methane conversion of 43.1% is obtained under the optimum conditions. Also, the selectivity and yield for C2 hydrocarbons and AER are 40.1%, 93.2% and 2.41 MJ/mol, respectively.

Key words: methane conversion, C2 hydrocarbons, gliding arc, plasma