EP0176295A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Eliminating unwanted material from a gas flow line
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1985-09-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-09-16
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus and method for eliminating unwanted materials, such as corrosive gases, from an effluent gas flow line includes a reactive trap wherein chemical reaction between the unwanted materials, a reactant gas and a reactive element takes place under induced plasma conditions. A ballast gas may be added to adjust operating pressures and to aid in creating the plasma. The reactant gas and the reactive element are selected so that relative harmless by-products are produced. The reactive element is preferably maintained at a temperature of approximately 400°C and the chemical by-products are passed through a condensation element in the reactive trap which element is maintained at approximately 30 C. Preferably, the plasma is induced by a microwave transmitter in conjunction with a waveguide inserted into a reactive trap, and a control system automatically monitors and adjusts the temperature and pressure of the reaction as well as controls the ratio of effluent gas and ballast gas.
Inventors
- 👤 Randall Mundt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 11:56
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32431; H01J37/32798; H01J37/32816; H01J37/32834; H01J37/32844; B; B01; B01D; B01D53/00; H01J37/3244; Y; Y02; Y02C; Y02C20/00; Y02C20/30; Y10; Y10S; Y10S423/00; Y10S423/08; Y10S423/09; Y10S423/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
178 words
A reactive trap adapted for use in a gas flow line between a corrosive gas source and a pump located downstream of said corrosive gas source for reducing the corrosive properties of the corrosive gas prior to its introduction into the pump, comprising: a housing structure having a generally hollow interior and including a gas inlet in fluid communication with said corrosive gas source and a gas outlet in fluid communication with said pump, said housing structure interior forming a flow path for said corrosive gas from said inlet to said outlet; a fibrous mesh of material forming a reaction element positioned in said flow path to constrain the flow of the corrosive gas in said housing structure whereby said corrosive gas is forced to pass through said fibrous mesh as it flows from said inlet to said outlet; and heating means positioned in said housing structure adjacent said fibrous mesh for heating said corrosive gas in said housing structure by inducing a glow discharge in the corrosive gas therein to from a plasma at the interior thereof.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
178 words
A reactive trap adapted for use in a gas flow line between a corrosive gas source and a pump located downstream of said corrosive gas source for reducing the corrosive properties of the corrosive gas prior to its introduction into the pump, comprising: a housing structure having a generally hollow interior and including a gas inlet in fluid communication with said corrosive gas source and a gas outlet in fluid communication with said pump, said housing structure interior forming a flow path for said corrosive gas from said inlet to said outlet; a fibrous mesh of material forming a reaction element positioned in said flow path to constrain the flow of the corrosive gas in said housing structure whereby said corrosive gas is forced to pass through said fibrous mesh as it flows from said inlet to said outlet; and heating means positioned in said housing structure adjacent said fibrous mesh for heating said corrosive gas in said housing structure by inducing a glow discharge in the corrosive gas therein to from a plasma at the interior thereof.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
A reactive trap according to claim 1 including a reactant gas source of a gas selected to be chemically reactive with said corrosive gas and adjustable valve means for selectively mixing said reactant gas with said corrosive gas to form a mixed gas product.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
76 words
A reactive trap according to claim 2 including temperature sensing means for measuring the temperature of the plasma, pressure sensing means for measuring the pressure of the mixed gas product, and control means responsive to said temperature and pressure sensing means to operate said valve means to vary the ratio of corrosive and reactant gases in said mixed gas product and to activate and deactivate said heating means to maintain a preselected temperature for said plasma.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
84 words
A reactive trap according to claim 3 including a ballast gas source in fluid communication with said valve means whereby said control means is operative to selectively mix ballast gas into said mixed gas product, said ballast gas operative to adjust the pressure in the reactive trap and to thermally couple the electromagnetic radiation from said transmitter to said corrosive gas and said reactant gas in said reactive trap to enhance chemical interaction of the corrosive gas, the reactant gas and the reaction element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
A reactive trap according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein said heating means is operative to maintain a radial temperature gradient from an interior temperature of approximately 400 0 C at said plasma to approximately 30° C at the outer surface of said housing.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
A reactive trap according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said reactant gas and said reaction element are selected from materials which chemically react with the corrosive gases to produce a reaction product having a vapor pressure greater than .001 torr at 400°C and less than .01 torr at 30°C.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A reactive trap according to any one of the preceding claims including a second fibrous mesh of material forming a condensation element positioned in said flow path downstream of said reaction element.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A reactive trap according to claim 7 wherein said reaction element and said condensation element are fifty percent metallic meshes.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
A reactive trap according to claim 8 wherein said reaction element includes a metal selected from a group consisting of iron and zirconium and said condensation element includes aluminum and said reactant gas includes an oxidizing gas.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
110 words
A reactive trap according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said housing structure has a cylindrical side wall, a first end wall and a second end wall, and including a hollow cylindrical baffle member positioned coaxially in the interior of said housing structure having a baffle portion operative to separate said inlet from said outlet whereby gases flowing from said inlet to said outlet are forced to flow first longitudinally through the inside of said baffle member and then longitudinally along the outside of said baffle member in a first region between said baffle member and said sidewall, said reaction element being positioned internally of the baffle member.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
93 words
A reactive trap according to claim 10 including a cylindrical waveguide located coaxially with said sidewall on the inside of said baffle member whereby said baffle member and said waveguide define a second region, said condensation element being located in said first region and said reaction element being located in said second region, said heating means being a radiant transmitter operative to produce electromagnetic radiation through said waveguide whereby a plasma is formed with gases located in said second region and a radial temperature gradient is formed from said waveguide to said sidewall.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
56 words
A reactive trap according to claim 11 wherein said reaction element and said condensation element are tubular in shape, said baffle member being an insulator, said baffle member, said reaction element and said condensation element being connected together as an integral unit that slideably and removeably fits into said housing structure. any one of the preceding
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
A reactive trap according to any one the preceding claims wherein said heating means is defined by a microwave generator including a wave guide extending into said housing.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
111 words
A method for eliminating corrosive gases from a gas flow line, comprising the steps of: combining the corrosive gases with a reactant gas to form a mixed gas product; introducing said mixed gas product into the interior of a generally hollow reactive trap having a reaction element wherein said reactant gas and said reaction element are selected to contain material which chemically reacts with corrosive gases to produce relatively harmless chemical by-products; enhancing chemical reaction among the corrosive gases, the reactant gas and the reaction element by creating a plasma in the mixed gas product at a location adjacent the reaction element; and outletting gaseous chemical by-products from said reactive trap.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
111 words
A method for eliminating corrosive gases from a gas flow line, comprising the steps of: combining the corrosive gases with a reactant gas to form a mixed gas product; introducing said mixed gas product into the interior of a generally hollow reactive trap having a reaction element wherein said reactant gas and said reaction element are selected to contain material which chemically reacts with corrosive gases to produce relatively harmless chemical by-products; enhancing chemical reaction among the corrosive gases, the reactant gas and the reaction element by creating a plasma in the mixed gas product at a location adjacent the reaction element; and outletting gaseous chemical by-products from said reactive trap.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method according to claim 14 wherein said chemical by-products are passed through a condensation element prior to being outletted from said reactive trap.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 15 wherein said reaction element is maintained at a temperature of 400°C and said condensation element is maintained at a temperature of approximately 30° C .
Claim 19
Independent Claim
43 words
The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16 wherein said plasma is created by inducing a glow discharge by electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range from a transmitter along a waveguide in said reactive trap. any one of 14 to
Claim 20
Independent Claim
60 words
The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, including the steps of introducing a ballast gas into said mixed gas product to couple said electromagnetic radiation to said plasma, monitoring the temperature and pressure of said reaction element and controlling the temperature of the reaction element and the composition of said mixed gas product in response thereto.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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