A process and apparatus for cracking liquid hydrocarbon materials into light hydrocarbon fractions using a carrier gas including methane and hydrogen.

Disclosed is a system and method related to removal of carbon from carbon dioxide via the use of plasma arc heating techniques. The method involves generating C atoms and H atoms from C.sub.xH.sub.y. The method involves generating graphite and H.sub.2 from the C atoms and H atoms, and extracting the graphite. The method involves quenching the H.sub.2 with C.sub.xH.sub.y. The method involves receiving, at a generator, the quenched the H.sub.2 and C.sub.YH.sub.y and generating electricity. The method involves generating a concentrated stream of H.sub.2 from the quenched H.sub.2 and C.sub.xH.sub.y. The method involves receiving CO.sub.2 and the concentrated stream of H.sub.2 and generating C, O, and H atoms. The method involves receiving the C, O, and H atoms and generating graphite, wherein the graphite is extracted. In the hydrocarbon C.sub.xH.sub.y: x is an integer 1, 2, 3, . . . , and y=2x+2.

The invention includes a gas processing system for transforming a hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into outflow gas products, where the system includes a gas delivery subsystem, a plasma reaction chamber, and a microwave subsystem, with the gas delivery subsystem in fluid communication with the plasma reaction chamber, so that the gas delivery subsystem directs the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the plasma reaction chamber, and the microwave subsystem directs microwave energy into the plasma reaction chamber to energize the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas, thereby forming a plasma in the plasma reaction chamber, which plasma effects the transformation of a hydrocarbon in the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the outflow gas products, which comprise acetylene and hydrogen. The invention also includes methods for the use of this gas processing system.

A method and a device are proposed for plasma-chemical conversion of gas or gas mixture using a pulsed electrical discharge. They allow increasing efficiency of the process for converting gas/gas mixture into desired products by stimulating forward reactions and minimizing reverse reactions. This is achieved by converting the gas/gas mixture using a pulsed electrical discharge in the form of hot plasma channels formed between electrodes in the moving flow of gas/gas mixture, wherein the ratio of the flow velocity to the average discharge current falls within the following range: 250 J/(m.sup.3*A.sup.2)<ρ*V.sup.2/I.sup.2<4,000 J/(m.sup.3*A.sup.2), where ρ is the density of gas/gas mixture in a reaction chamber (kg/m3), V is the flow velocity of gas/gas mixture in the reaction chamber (m/s), and I is the average current of the pulsed electrical discharge (A).

Provided are a fine particle manufacturing apparatus and a fine particle manufacturing method, which manufacture smaller fine particles. The fine particle manufacturing apparatus has: a raw material supply unit that supplies raw materials for producing fine particles into a thermal plasma flame; a plasma torch in which the thermal plasma flame is generated and the raw materials supplied by the raw material supply unit is evaporated by the thermal plasma flame to form a mixture in a gaseous state; a plasma generation unit that generates the thermal plasma flame inside the plasma torch; and a gas supply unit that supplies quenched gas to the thermal plasma flame, wherein the gas supply unit supplies the quenched gas with time modulation of the supply amount of the quenched gas.

The present development is a reactor system for the production of nanostructures. The reactor system comprises a conical reactor body designed to maintain an upwardly directed vertical plasma flame and hydrocarbon flame. The reactor system further includes a metal powder feed that feeds into the plasma flame, a cyclone and a dust removal unit. The system is designed to produce up to 100 grams of metal oxide nanomaterials per minute.

Particles may be generated using systems and methods provided herein. The particles may include carbon particles.

Apparatus for plasma synthesis of carbon nanotubes, comprising: a plasma nozzle coupled to a reaction tube or chamber; means for supplying a process gas to the plasma nozzle, the process gas comprising a carbon-containing species; means for supplying radio frequency radiation to the process gas within the plasma nozzle, so as to sustain a plasma within the nozzle in use, and thereby cause cracking of the carbon-containing species; and means for providing a catalyst; wherein the plasma nozzle is arranged such that an afterglow of the plasma extends into the reaction tube/chamber, the cracked carbon-containing species also pass into the reaction tube/chamber, and the cracked carbon-containing species recombine within the afterglow, so as to form carbon nanotubes in the presence of the catalyst. A method of plasma-synthesising carbon nanotubes is also provided.

The invention includes a gas processing system for transforming a hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into outflow gas products, where the system includes a gas delivery subsystem, a plasma reaction chamber, and a microwave subsystem, with the gas delivery subsystem in fluid communication with the plasma reaction chamber, so that the gas delivery subsystem directs the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the plasma reaction chamber, and the microwave subsystem directs microwave energy into the plasma reaction chamber to energize the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas, thereby forming a plasma in the plasma reaction chamber, which plasma effects the transformation of a hydrocarbon in the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the outflow gas products, which comprise acetylene and hydrogen. The invention also includes methods for the use of this gas processing system.

The present invention relates to a process, reactor and system to produce self-standing two-dimensional nanostructures, using a microwave-excited plasma environment. The process is based on injecting, into a reactor, a mixture of gases and precursors in stream regime. The stream is subjected to a surface wave electric field, excited by the use of microwave power which is introduced into a field applicator, generating high energy density plasmas, that break the precursors into its atomic and/or molecular constituents. The system comprises a plasma reactor with a surface wave launching zone, a transient zone with a progressively increasing cross-sectional area, and a nucleation zone. The plasma reactor together with an infrared radiation source provides a controlled adjustment of the spatial gradients, of the temperature and the gas stream velocity.