Apparatus for making metal oxide nanopowder

US7465430B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY · US

Inventors

• Juergen Kurt Plischke · Bear, US
• Stephan Claude De La Veaux · Wilmington, US
• Scott Frerichs · Hockessin, US
• Jodi Lynn Witt · New Castle, US
• Christian Normand · Keyano, CA

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 18, 2005
• Grant date: Dec 16, 2008
• Expiry date: Apr 9, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S977/891
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

There is described an apparatus for making metal oxide particles which are substantially free of coarse tail from an oxidizing agent and a metal reactant in a flow reactor. The apparatus can be a concentric tubular flow reactor comprising a substantially funnel-shaped reactant contacting region located adjacent to a reaction zone which is able to direct a flow of a hot oxidizing agent towards a flow of the metal reactant to form a reaction stream which flows downstream into a reaction zone, whereby the hot oxidizing agent of the reaction stream is able to surround the flow of metal reactant sufficient to prevent the metal reactant from contacting the wall of the reactant contacting region and forming scale on the wall. A cooling fluid conduit being able to direct a flow of a cooling fluid into the reaction zone to flow coaxially with the reaction stream and to form a fluid curtain between the reaction stream and a baffle, which defines at least a portion of the reaction zone, while the metal reactant and hot oxidizing agent within the reaction stream react to form the metal oxide nanopowder prevents scale from forming on the baffle.