Process and apparatus for placing materials in a state of plasma

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PLACING A MATERIAL IN A STATE OF PLASMA, THE STEP OF INTERMITTENTLY INTRODUCING THE MATERIAL, INITIALLY IN A CONDITION WHERE ITS PARTICLES HAVE A MEAN FREE PATH OF LESS THAN 10**-6 CM. INTO A SHOCK WAVE CHAMBER HAVING AN INTERIOR WHICH IS AT A HIGH PRESSURE AND HAVING THE CONFIGURATION OF AT LEAST PART OF A SPHERE, IN WHICH CONVERGENT SHOCK WAVES EXTENDING ALONG A RADIUS OF THE SPHERE ARE FORMED IN RAPID SEQUENCE BY PERIODICALLY REPEATED SHOCK WAVE IGNITION OF ACOMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE WHICH IS CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCED AT THE REGION AT THE WALL OF THE CHAMBER AT THE LARGESTRADIUS THEREOF THROUGH AND OPENING IN THIS WALL WITH THE MIXTURE SPREADING OUT IN THE CHAMBER, REMOVING THE GASES AFTER COMBUSTION THEREOF THROUGH AN OPENING IN THE WALL OF THE SHOCK WAVE CHAMBER, WITH THE MATERIAL WHICH IS TO BE PLACED IN A STATE OF PLASMA BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE SHOCK WAVE CHAMBER IN A REGION OF A NARROW ZONE OF CONVERGENCE WHICH IS SITUATED WITHIN A RADIAL DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER OF THE SPHERE WHICH AT A MAXIMUM IS 10% OF THE LARGEST RADIUS OF THE SHOCK WAVE CHAMBER, AND THEN REMOVING THE MATERIAL WHICH HAS BEEN PLACED IN A STATE OF PLASMA BY THE ACTION OF THE SHOCK WAVES.