Reactor with cold turning plasma and stream forcing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9744517-B2
Application number	US-201615171576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2016
Priority date	Jun 4, 2015
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A reactor for forming a plasma in a flowing fluid that includes a central rod belonging to a first electrode, an insulator, a tubular body belonging to a second electrode and defining a cylindrical space for the flow of the fluid between the tubular body and the insulator. The reactor further includes control disk having a front face linked to a downstream end of the central rod, and a permanent magnet juxtaposed against a back face of the control disk. One or more ribs are on a front face of the control disk according to a pattern in relief defining successive starting points for an electric arc distributed around the central axis of the reactor so as to generate electric arcs situated on a reaction cone and appearing to turn around the central axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plasma reactor configured to form a plasma in a flowing fluid, the reactor comprising:
a first electrode and a second electrode connected to a source of alternating voltage and configured to create electric arcs between the first and second electrodes to generate a plasma in the flowing fluid and a portion of a vessel delimiting a reaction chamber that contains the plasma,
wherein the first electrode comprises a central rod on a central axis of the reactor, where the rod is enveloped with an insulator, except for a downstream end in a fluid flow direction that projects from the insulator and a connection region thereof,
the second electrode comprises a tubular body surrounding the insulator and having a discharge end in the reaction chamber,
the reactor includes a conducting control disk having a front face linked to the downstream end of the central rod of the first electrode,
the reactor further comprises a permanent magnet juxtaposed against a back face of the control disk,
one or more grooves or ribs are on a front face of the control disk according to a pattern in relief and configured to define successive electric arc starting points distributed around the central axis of the reactor so as to generate electric arcs that define a reaction cone and that turn around the central axis, and
the reactor has a cylindrical space configured to accommodate the flowing fluid between the tubular body and the insulator, and into which the fluid enters and exist within the reaction cone.

2. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the pattern in relief on the front face of the control disk comprises at least one circular rib.

3. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge end of the tubular body of the second electrode is planar.

4. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular body of the second electrode is perforated with flow holes open to the cylindrical flow space.

5. The plasma reactor according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a conical conducting washer having an apex joined to the tubular body of the second electrode downstream of the flow holes of the body and a base situated upstream of the flow holes, the base extended by a connection rim configured to enable its fastening to the portion of vessel delimiting the reaction chamber; and
a second jack in contact with the connection rim of the conical conducting washer for the connection of the second electrode to the source of alternating voltage.

6. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the control disk and the permanent magnet each have a greater diameter than an outside diameter of the discharge end of the tubular body of the second electrode.

7. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of the vessel delimiting the reaction chamber comprises a transparent material.

8. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the reactor further comprises a portion of the vessel that extends axially and upstream in the fluid flow direction of the portion of the vessel delimiting the reaction chamber.

9. The plasma reactor according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an inlet end formation formed by a connector in accordance with a standard upstream of the portion of the vessel forming an extension and fastened thereto; and
an outlet end formation formed by a connector in accordance with a standard downstream of the portion of the vessel delimiting the reaction chamber and fastened thereto.

10. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a flat conducting washer attached to a connection region of the central rod of the first electrode; and
a first jack in contact with the flat conducting washer and configured to connect the first electrode to the source of alternating voltage, the flat conducting washer further configured to fasten to a portion of vessel forming an extension,
the flat conducting washer axially perforated with openings for the passage of the flowing fluid.

11. The plasma reactor according to claim 1 , further comprising a spark plug, the spark plug comprising a central rod electrode and a plug body lacking any projecting ground electrode, the central rod electrode of the spark plug forming the central rod of the first electrode of the reactor, the plug body of the spark plug forming the tubular body of the second electrode of the reactor, the insulator of the spark plug corresponding to the insulator of the reactor.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Hourdin Laurent

Classifications

• H05H1/484

  Arrangements to provide plasma curtains or plasma showers · CPC title

• H05H1/50 Primary

  and using applied magnetic fields, e.g. for focusing or rotating the arc · CPC title

• B01J2219/1946

  conical · CPC title

• H05H2001/483

  Electricity · mapped topic

• B01J2219/0852

  employing permanent magnets · CPC title