High Temperature Material Processes (An International Quarterly of High-Technology Plasma Processes) An International Journal

ISSN for PRINT: 1093-3611

For Online Access

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2003, Volume7

Issue 4

176 pages

DOI: 10.1615/HighTempMatProc.v7.i4

Issue price - $144.00

A. B. Murphy
CSIRO Telecommunications and Industrial Physics, P.O. Box 218, Lindfield, NSW 2070, Australia

Plasma technologies for the destruction of ozone-depleting substances are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the PLASCON process, based on an argon plasma produced by a dc plasma torch, which is used to destroy halons and chlorofluorocarbons in Australia and the UK. Three different approaches to modelling the destruction of ozone-depleting substances in a thermal plasma are presented: chemical equilibrium, chemical kinetic and fluid dynamic. Chemical equilibrium modelling does not accurately predict the products of the destruction process; however, the equilibrium mixing temperature is shown to be well correlated with the destruction and removal efficiency. The ratio of the feed rate to the plasma power also predicts the destruction and removal efficiency for a given oxidising gas. Chemical kinetic calculations are shown to give a good prediction of the products of the destruction process, while fluid dynamic modelling, which takes into account turbulent mixing and recirculating flow phenomena, is required to calculate concentrations of the different species within the reaction zone. The importance of interconversion of different ozone-depleting substances during the destruction process is demonstrated, and it is shown that the use of steam rather than oxygen as the oxidising gas in the process greatly reduces interconversion and improves destruction performance. Keywords: plasma waste destruction, thermal plasma, CFC, chlorofluorocarbon, halon, Montreal Protocol.

DOI: 10.1615/HighTempMatProc.v7.i4.10 Download article, 415-433 pages

Article price - $35.00

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