DEVICE AND METHOD OF INERTING TOXIC MATERIALS BY PLASMA MELTING

摘要

The method relates to a method and a device for inerting toxic materials by plasma melting, comprising a melting chamber (1) having an internal volume bounded by walls. According to the invention, this device comprises at least one non-transferred arc plasma source (8, 9) designed to generate a plasma jet that is inclined towards the lower part of the melting chamber (1), by propagating along a propagation axis (17, 18) lying out of the vertical plane (P) containing the normal to the wall at the point of intersection (20) between said propagation axis (17, 18) and said wall (4), so as to stir the melt bath (6). The melting chamber (1) is in fluid communication with the upstream part of a refining and casting chamber (26). The latter includes, in its downstream part, a port to which a non-transfered arc plasma source (30) is connected, this source (30) being mounted so as to emit a plasma jet (31) in order to strike the refining bath (27) directly in said upstream part so as to repel the unmelted elements in the melt bath (6).