Apparatus for the production of compounds by means of an electric arc

Claim 1

A HIGH TEMPERATURE REACTION VESSEL COMPRISING AN INSULATED SHELL, TWO CONCENTRIC CYLINDRICAL ELECTRODES EXTENDING INTO SAID SHELL AN ESSENTIALLY EQUAL DISTANCE AND FORMING AN ANNULAR GAP, A MEANS FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING A DIRECT CURRENT DISCHARGE ACROSS SAID ELECTRODES SUCH THAT THE INNER ELECTRODE IS THE CATHODE AND THE OUTER ELECTRODE THE ANODE, A SOLENOID POSITIONED EXTERNALLY TO SAID SHELL AND CONCENTRIC WITH SAID ELECTRODES, SAID SOLENOID PRODUCING MAGNETIC LINES OF FLUX PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID ELECTRODES AND ADJUSTABLE LINES OF FLUX PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID ANNULAR GAP AT SAID ANNULAR GAP, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING DIRECT CURRENT TO SAID SOLENOID, A GAS INLET BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES FOR CONVEYING GASEOUS MATERIAL TO SAID ANNULAR GAP, MEANS, LOCATED WITHIN SAID INSULATED SHELL AND ADJACENT TO SAID ANNULAR ELECTRODE GAP, FOR CONTACTING THE GASEOUS ARE EFFLUENT AT ITS EMERGENCE FROM THE ARC WITH A CONTINOUS STREAM OF FINELY DIVIDED, DISCRETE, SOLID PRATICLES AT SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER TEMPERATURE, AND A GAS OUTLET WHEREBY GASEOUS PRODUCTS ARE REMOVED FROM SAID REACTION VESSEL.