摘要 |
A device for dissociating an electronegative molecular gas includes a cylindrical-shaped tube having a wall that surrounds a discharge chamber. A first injector is positioned to introduce the molecular gas into a central region of the discharge chamber. A second injector is positioned to introduce an atomic gas, such as Argon, into an annular region between the central region and the tube wall. An induction coil is mounted on the wall and energized. This ionizes the atomic gas and creates a plasma discharge in the annular region. Electrons liberated by the discharge interact with the molecular gas at the interface layer between the molecular and atomic gases, dissociating the molecular gas. The interaction between the plasma discharge and the electronegative molecular gas is substantially limited to the interface layer to avoid quenching of the plasma discharge. In one application, the device is used to recover Fluorine from Uranium Hexafluoride (UF6).
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