Production of compounds by means of the electric arc

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF SUBJECTING A GAS AND SOLID PARTICLES SUSPENDED THEREIN TO THE ACTION OF THE ELECTRIC ARC WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF PASSING THE GAS INTO A GAS CONFINING CHAMBER CONTINUOUSLY AT A REGULATED RATE, MAINTAINING AT LEAST ONE ELECTRIC ARC IN SAID CHAMBER, ADDING SOLID PARTICLES OF PREDETERMINED SIZE AT A REGULATED RATE TO SUSPEND SAID PARTICLES DISCRETELY IN SAID GAS, IMPARTING DIFFERING VELOCITIES TO SAID GAS AND TO SAID PARTICLES TO FORCE A SUBSTANTIAL FRACTION OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SAID SUSPENDED PARTICLES TO REPEATEDLY TRAVERSE AT LEASE PART OF THE LOCUS OF SAID ELECTRIC ARC, AND REMOVING THE GAS PHASE AND SOLIDS FROM THE CHAMBER.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY REACTING A GAS PHASE IN PASSAGE THROUGH A ZONE OF HIGH CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SOLID PARTICLES RETAINED IN SAID ZONE BY THE ACTION OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCES WHICH COMPRISES A GAS CHAMBER OF CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION HAVING AN AXIAL OUTLET, A PLURALITY OF CONVERGENT GAS INLET PORTS SPACED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CHAMBER AND ARRANGED WITH THE AXIS OF EACH PORT AT AN ANGLE NOT GREATER THAN 16 DEGREES WITH THE RESPECTIVE TANGENT PLANE, MEANS TO INTRODUCE AND REGULATE THE FLOW OF A STREAM OF SOLID PARTICLES INTO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INLET PORTS, AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF ELECTRODES POSITIONED AT, AND SPACED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO INITIATE AND TO MAINTAIN AN ELECTRIC ARC BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES AND IN THE PATH OF THE PARTICLES WHICH ARE IMPELLED TO TRAVERSE A CIRCULAR PATH NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO DIRECT AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE GAS ENTERING THE SAID CHAMBER IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION TO OPPOSE THE ACTION OF GRAVITY ON SAID SUSPENDED PARTICLES, A SLOT IN THE BASE OF THE SAID CHAMBER NEAR ITS PERIPHERY AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH MEANS TO COLLECT SOLIDS OUTSIDE SAID CHAMBER WHILE AVOIDING SUBSTANTIAL OUTWARD FLOW OF GAS THROUGH SAID SLOT, AND MEANS TO COOL THE GAS PHASE AND SOLIDS EMERGING FROM SAID CHAMBER.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY REACTING A GAS PHASE IN PASSAGE THROUGH A ZONE OF HIGH CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SOLID PARTICLES RETAINED IN SAID ZONE BY THE ACTION OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCES WHICH COMPRISES A GAS CHAMBER OF CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION HAVING AN AXIAL OUTLET, A PLURALITY OF CONVERGENT GAS INLET PORTS SPACED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CHAMBER AND ARRANGED WITH THE AXIS OF EACH PORT AT AN ANGLE NOT GREATER THAN 16 DEGREES WITH THE RESPECTIVE TANGENT PLANE, MEANS TO INTRODUCE AND REGULATE THE FLOW OF A STREAM OF SOLID PARTICLES INTO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INLET PORTS, AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF ELECTRODES POSITIONED AT, AND SPACED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO INITIATE AND TO MAINTAIN AN ELECTRIC ARC BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES AND IN THE PATH OF THE PARTICLES WHICH ARE IMPELLED TO TRAVERSE A CIRCULAR PATH NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO DIRECT AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE GAS ENTERING THE SAID CHAMBER IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION TO OPPOSE THE ACTION OF GRAVITY ON SAID SUSPENDED PARTICLES, A SLOT IN THE BASE OF THE SAID CHAMBER NEAR ITS PERIPHERY AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH MEANS TO COLLECT SOLIDS OUTSIDE SAID CHAMBER WHILE AVOIDING SUBSTANTIAL OUTWARD FLOW OF GAS THROUGH SAID SLOT, AND MEANS TO COOL THE GAS PHASE AND SOLIDS EMERGING FROM SAID CHAMBER.