Apparatus and process for the continuous production of carbon black or carbon containing compounds. The process is performed by converting a carbon containing feedstock, including generating a plasma gas with electrical energy, accelerating the plasma gas through a nozzle, whose diameter is narrowing in the direction of the plasma gas, guiding the plasma gas into a reaction area where feedstock is injected under conditions generated by aerodynamic and electromagnetic forces, including intense rapid mixing between the plasma gas and feedstock occurs. There is no significant recirculation of feedstock into the plasma chamber, and the reaction zone does not immediately come into contact with any contact surfaces. The products of reaction are cooled, and the carbon black or carbon containing compounds are separated from the other reaction products.

A high temperature heat integration method of making carbon black. A method of making carbon black is described, including reacting a carbon black forming feedstock with hydrogen gas in a plasma reactor to produce effluent gas containing carbon black and unused hydrogen, cooling the effluent gas for further processing, and recycling the unused hydrogen back into the carbon black forming process, where the unused hydrogen gas is pre-heated in a heat exchanger to a temperature up to the reaction temperature in the reactor before being recycled into the carbon black forming process. The heat exchanger for use in such process is also described.

The invention relates to a device (1) for plasma-induced decomposition of alkanes, particularly of methane, into carbon and hydrogen, comprising: a cyclone separator (2) comprising a process chamber (3) extending about a vertical axis (H) and comprising at least one gas inlet (4) designed such that introduced alkane-containing gas circulates about the vertical axis (H) of the process chamber (3), as well as a plasma device (5) formed such that alkane contained in the alkane-containing gas is decomposed in a plasma region (6) of the process chamber (3) by means of plasma (7) into a gas comprising carbon and hydrogen, so that resublimation of the carbon to carbon particles is achieved,
wherein the carbon particles are separable from the gas by means of the cyclone separator (2) and the plasma region (6) is located exclusively off the vertical axis (H).

The invention further relates to respective method.

Design advances for improving the performance of a plasma torch. The use of one or more of various advances described herein can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the torch, the reactor and the manufacturing process. The use of the torch with hydrogen plasma gas, natural gas feedstock, and carbon black production are also described.

Apparatus and process for the continuous production of carbon black or carbon containing compounds. The process is performed by converting a carbon containing feedstock, including generating a plasma gas with electrical energy, accelerating the plasma gas through a nozzle, whose diameter is narrowing in the direction of the plasma gas, guiding the plasma gas into a reaction area where feedstock is injected under conditions generated by aerodynamic and electromagnetic forces, including intense rapid mixing between the plasma gas and feedstock occurs. There is no significant recirculation of feedstock into the plasma chamber, and the reaction zone does not immediately come into contact with any contact surfaces. The products of reaction are cooled, and the carbon black or carbon containing compounds are separated from the other reaction products.

A method of cooling a liner in a plasma chamber. A recycle gas is contacted with or passed through the liner to cool the liner and pre-heat the recycle gas. The pre-heated gas is then recycled through the plasma chamber to become part of the plasma forming process. The method further comprises the liner is graphite, the recycle gas passes through at least one cooling channel present in the liner, at least one of the cooling channels are covered with at least one removable liner/channel cover, carbon deposits are formed from the presence of hydrocarbons in the recycle gas, at least one channel is formed in a spiral cooling channel pattern, at least one channel is formed in a substantially straight cooling channel pattern, and a plenum to aid in the production of an even distribution of cooling gas in the channels.

The invention includes systems and methods for forming organized hybrid carbon solids from a hydrocarbon precursor. The hybrid carbon solid can comprise a core-shell structure in which the shell is formed from elemental carbon, and the core comprises materials that are non-elemental-carbon materials.

A method of making carbon black. Such method is described including generating a plasma by subjecting a plasma gas to a plasma arc, mixing a feedstock material with the plasma gas and combining the mixture in a reactor at a given reactor temperature to produce carbon black, wherein the feedstock is mixed with the plasma gas outside of the area occupied by the plasma arc. The carbon black produced by such process is also described.

Carbon nanoparticles made in a one step process. A method of making carbon black nanoparticles is described, including adding a hydrocarbon to a heated gas to produce carbon nanoparticles that are less than 1 micron volume equivalent sphere and have an Lc greater than 3.0 nm. Elastomer composites containing such particles are also described.

A high temperature heat integration method of making carbon black. A method of making carbon black is described, including reacting a carbon black forming feedstock with hydrogen gas in a plasma reactor to produce effluent gas containing carbon black and unused hydrogen, cooling the effluent gas for further processing, and recycling the unused hydrogen back into the carbon black forming process, where the unused hydrogen gas is pre-heated in a heat exchanger to a temperature up to the reaction temperature in the reactor before being recycled into the carbon black forming process. The heat exchanger for use in such process is also described.