Method for densification and spheroidization of solid and solution precursor droplets of materials using microwave generated plasma processing
First Claim
1. A method of producing spheroidal and dense powder product particles extracted from plasma exhaust gas following injection of feed materials consisting of powder particles or solution precursor droplets using a microwave plasma and which method comprises:
- introducing axially feed material through a materials feeder into an axisymmetric microwave plasma torch;
entraining said feed material using an axis-symmetric laminar entrainment flow;
guiding said feed material towards the microwave plasma using an axis-symmetric laminar cooling flow;
processing said feed material by exposing it to high temperature profile within the microwave generated plasma;
filtering said exhaust gas of said microwave generated plasma; and
extracting powder product particles from said filtered exhaust gas.
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Abstract
A method for processing feed material to produce dense and spheroidal products is described. The feed material is comprised of powder particles from the spray-drying technique or solution precursor droplets from ceramic or metallic materials. The feed material is processed using plasma generated from a microwave. The microwave plasma torch employed is capable of generating laminar flow during processing which allows for the production of spheroidal particles with a homogenous materials distribution. This results in products having improved thermal properties, improved corrosion and wear resistance and a higher tolerance to interface stresses.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of producing spheroidal and dense powder product particles extracted from plasma exhaust gas following injection of feed materials consisting of powder particles or solution precursor droplets using a microwave plasma and which method comprises:
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introducing axially feed material through a materials feeder into an axisymmetric microwave plasma torch; entraining said feed material using an axis-symmetric laminar entrainment flow; guiding said feed material towards the microwave plasma using an axis-symmetric laminar cooling flow; processing said feed material by exposing it to high temperature profile within the microwave generated plasma; filtering said exhaust gas of said microwave generated plasma; and extracting powder product particles from said filtered exhaust gas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 25, 26)
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13. A method of producing passivated spheroidal and dense powder product particles extracted from plasma exhaust gas following injection of feed materials consisting of powder particles along with passivation material using a microwave plasma and which method comprises:
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introducing axially feed material through a materials feeder into an axisymmetric microwave plasma torch; entraining said feed material using an axis-symmetric laminar entrainment flow; guiding said feed material towards the microwave plasma using an axis-symmetric laminar cooling flow; introducing passivation material next to said feed material; processing said feed material and said passivation material in a uniform temperature profile within the microwave generated plasma; filtering said exhaust gas of said microwave generated plasma; and extracting powder product particles from said filtered exhaust gas. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of producing passivated spheroidal and dense powder product particles extracted from plasma exhaust gas following injection of feed materials consisting of powder particles along with passivation material using a microwave plasma and which method comprises:
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introducing axially feed material through a materials feeder into an axisymmetric microwave plasma torch; entraining said feed material using an axis-symmetric laminar entrainment flow; guiding said feed material towards the microwave plasma using an axis-symmetric laminar cooling flow; processing said feed material in a uniform temperature profile within the microwave generated plasma; introducing said passivation material into plasma exhaust path downstream from microwave energy input; filtering said exhaust gas of said microwave generated plasma; and extracting said coated powder product particles from said filtered exhaust plasma gas. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification