A plasma partial oxidation approach for removal of leaked LPG in confined spaces

Effective removal of leaked Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in poorly ventilated confined spaces remains a huge challenge in emergency response. In this paper, a plasma partial oxidation (PPO) approach was proposed to remove the leaked hazardous gases in confined spaces. A double dielectric barrier discharge (DDBD) reactor with a discharge volume of 13.56 ml was used at an initial Butane (simulate LPG) concentration of 5 % to study the effects of discharge power, gas flow rate and its co-action on the reaction performance, and the feasibility of the removal approach was demonstrated. The main hazardous gases in the exhaust are Butane and CO. By establishing the functional relationship of Butane concentration and CO concentration to energy density, it was calculated that the 5 % initial Butane concentration can be reduced to less than 1.9 % when the energy density (discharge power/gas flow rate) reaches 2.17 kJ/L, which eliminates the explosion risk of leaking Butane, and at the same time, the CO concentration is 0.8 %, which has a low CO toxicity. This paper provides a new approach for removing leaked LPG, which is expected to be practically applied in the disposal of hazardous gas leakage accidents in confined spaces.