Treatment of fluorocarbon feedstocks

US7252744B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation Limited · ZA
• 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY · US

Inventors

• Izak Jacobus Van Der Walt · Krugersdorp, ZA
• Klaus Hintzer · Woodbury, US
• Gernot Lohr · Altötting, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 9, 2001
• Grant date: Aug 7, 2007
• Expiry date: Jun 20, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J37/32
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method of treating a fluorocarbon feedstock includes generating, in a high temperature zone, an electrical arc between at least one cathode and at least one anode, generating in the high temperature zone and by means of the electrical arc and a plasma gas, an upwardly burning thermal plasma having a tail flame, allowing a solid particulate fluorocarbon feedstock comprising at least on fluorocarbon compound to form a reactive thermal mixture with the thermal plasma tail flame, with the fluorocarbon compound dissociating into at least one fluorocarbon precursor or reactive species, and cooling the reactive thermal mixture to form, from the fluorocarbon precursor of reactive species, at least one more desirable fluorocarbon compound.