Chlorination of sulfur dioxide in a plasma arc photochemical reactor: Part I. Reactor performance

This is a study of a photochemical reactor consisting of a vortex‐stabilized arc and an annular, triple‐walled, fused silica reaction chamber. An argon arc plasma provides the light. For power inputs of 3‐12 kw, the spectral output of the light source was characterized as a function of wavelength, arc‐gas flow rate, power input to the arc, and position along the arc. For power inputs of 3.84 and 8.45 kw, there were, respectively, 0.314 and 0.862 einsteins emitted per hour in the 2500 to 5000Å wavelength region. Selective filter solutions of 1.5N KNO3 and 0.05N KI were investigated. A reactor analysis is presented, based on mass and energy balances, and the geometrical properties of the system.