Plasmabrenner und Verwendung dieses Plasmabrenners zur Durchführung chemischer Reaktionen

1,116,868. Treating gases with electric discharges. WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION. 28 June, 1966 [14 July, 1965], No. 28868/66. Heading H5H. Arc heater apparatus for chemical processing of gases, comprises an arc chamber 10 including spaced electrodes 11 and 13, electrode 13 being the downstream electrode, circuit means for producing and sustaining an arc 21 between electrodes 11, 13, and for setting up a magnetic field in chamber 10 to rotate arc 21, a gas inlet 25 for introducing a process gas upstream of arc 21, the arc pyrolizing the process gas, an inlet 18 for introducing a gaseous or liquid quenching fluid upstream of arc 21, the quenching fluid acting to cool the pyrolized gas a short time interval, of the order of a microsecond or less, after pyrolysis takes place, and exhaust nozzle 15, 16 disposed downstream of electrode 13. Entry to inlet 25 is through passage 27, annular header 26 and radial passages such as 28, 29. Electrodes 11, 13 are annular and are separated by ring 12 having a liquid inlet 221 to annular header 215 and outlet 222, with passages 231, 232, 233 having bores 234, 235, 236 communicating between header 215 and chamber 10 for arc quenching fluids. Between electrode 13 and nozzle 15 is a similar ring 14 having an inlet 198 to header 197 and outlet 199, with passages 203, 204, 205 having bores 206, 207, 208 communicating between header 197 and chamber 10 for arc quenching fluid. Exhaust nozzle 15, 16 has an inlet 152 to annular header 151 leading to passage 153 with an outlet (not shown) and holes 155 leading into nozzle passageway 140 for further arc quenching fluid. Arc quenching gases may also be introduced into chamber 10 by passages 122, 121, 123, 124, 120 between electrode 11 and ring 12, passages 238, 237, 239, 240, 119, between ring 12 and electrode 13, passages 242, 241, 243, 244, 246 between electrode 13 and ring 14, and passages 147, 146, 148, 149, 144 between ring 14 and nozzle 15. Member 17 containing inlet 18 and electrodes 11 and 13 are water cooled. Field coils 46, 66 provide the magnetic field. The plurality of inlets is to enable a quench fluid, either gaseous or liquid or both, to be introduced at substantially any time interval from a fraction of a microsecond to a few milliseconds after the process gas is heated by arc 21 to a temperature at which dissociation takes place. It is stated that the process gas may be a hydrocarbon for example methane.