Patent ID: 8221689

Claim:
A method for decomposing natural gas or methane which comprises: (a) passing a flow of natural gas or methane through a reaction zone having a ground electrode on one side and a wall of dielectric material on the other, and having at least one high voltage (HV) electrode projecting through the wall of dielectric material, with a capacitor being provided in series with the HV electrode; (b) imparting a pulsating high voltage discharge through said capacitor and into said HV electrode so as to produce a cold arc discharge in the reaction zone between said HV electrode and the ground electrode, which cold arc discharge decomposes the natural gas or methane into its gaseous constituents and carbon in the form of solid particles; and (c) separating the carbon particles from the gaseous constituents essentially consisting of hydrogen and acetylene mixed with unreacted natural gas or methane.