The present invention discloses a coal-to-acetylene plasma reactor having coking inhibition and online decoking functions, comprising a vertically arranged cathode rod, an anode and a circulating cooling water jacket arranged outside the anode, the anode includes from top to bottom an anode of the electric arc operation section for cooperating with the cathode rod to generate an electric arc, and an anode of the reaction section located below the electric arc, the anode is grounded, the inner diameter of the anode of the reaction section is 1.2 to 10 times the inner diameter of the anode of the electric arc operation section, and the junction of the anode of the reaction section and the anode of the electric arc operation section is circumferentially provided with a decoking nozzle that can spray a decoking medium toward the anode of the reaction section. The present invention uses the method of changing the inner diameter of the reactor and setting nozzles for diaphragm protection, fundamentally suppressing or even eliminating the coking phenomenon during the operation of the reactor, no need to set the decoking cycle, and realizing the continuous cracking operation of the reactor.

Devices and methods for reducing the specific energy required to reform or pyrolyze reactants in plasmas operating at high flow rates and high pressures are presented. These systems and methods include 1) introducing electrons and/or easily ionized materials to a plasma reactor, 2) increasing turbulence and swirl velocity of the flows of feed gases to have improved mixing in a plasma reactor, and 3) reducing slippage from a plasma reactor system. Such plasma systems may allow plasma reactors to operate at lower temperatures, higher pressure, with improved plasma ignition, increased throughput and improved energy efficiency. In preferred embodiments, the plasma reactors are used to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon, or carbon monoxide through reforming and pyrolysis reactions. Preferred feedstocks include methane, carbon dioxide, and other hydrocarbons.

A pharmaceutical composition is provided comprising a highly soluble arsenic carbonate and/or bicarbonate compound and which is useful in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including acute promyelocytic leukaemia. The arsenic carbonate and/or bicarbonate salt acts as a solid, and so orally deliverable, improved bioequivalent delivery form of arsenic trioxide IV solutions.

A reactor for reforming a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, and associated processes and systems, are described herein. In one example, a two stage process is disclosed in which a first reactor is coupled to a second stage reactor having a reaction volume greater than the first reactor. In the first reactor, the liquid hydrocarbon fuel is partially reformed and thereafter is inputted into the second stage reactor for complete partial oxidation. The reaction product is at last partially synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, as well as other low hydrocarbons such as methane, ethylene, ethane, and acetylene. The low hydrocarbons can be reformed further in a solid oxide fuel cell. A portion of the gaseous, rotating contents of the second stage reactor may be input into the first reactor to help generate and sustain rotation within the first reactor.

A control system of a full-automatic cold plasma seed processor comprises a human-machine interaction interface, a PLC, a transport module, a vacuum degree module, an ionization module, and an energy supply module. The human-machine interaction interface is in a communications connection with the PLC by using a serial port. The energy supply module supplies a power source required by another module in a system. The PLC controls a transport rate of seeds by using the transport module, controls, by using the vacuum degree module, the vacuum degree of the system to reach a dynamic balance, and at last, controls the ionization time and the ionization power by using the ionization module, so as to adapt to processing requirements of different seeds and achieve an optimal processing effect. The control system can automatically process seeds of various grains, and brings short processing time and low cost.

Methods of processing particulate carbon material, such as graphic particles or agglomerates of carbon nanoparticles such as CNTs are provided. The starting material is agitated in a treatment vessel in the presence of low-pressure (glow) plasma generated between electrodes. The material is agitated in the presence of conductive contact bodies such as metal balls, on the surface of which plasma glow is present and amongst which the material to be treated moves. The methods effectively deagglomerate nanoparticles, and exfoliate graphitic material to produce very thin graphitic sheets showing graphene-type characteristics. The resulting nanomaterials used by dispersal in composite materials, e.g. conductive polymeric composites for electric or electronic articles and devices. The particle surfaces can be functionalized by choosing appropriate gas in which to form the plasma.

Devices and methods for reducing the specific energy required to reform or pyrolyze reactants in plasmas operating at high flow rates and high pressures are presented. These systems and methods include 1) introducing electrons and/or easily ionized materials to a plasma reactor, 2) increasing turbulence and swirl velocity of the flows of feed gases to have improved mixing in a plasma reactor, and 3) reducing slippage from a plasma reactor system. Such plasma systems may allow plasma reactors to operate at lower temperatures, higher pressure, with improved plasma ignition, increased throughput and improved energy efficiency. In preferred embodiments, the plasma reactors are used to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon, or carbon monoxide through reforming and pyrolysis reactions. Preferred feedstocks include methane, carbon dioxide, and other hydrocarbons.

The present invention discloses a non-thermal plasma treatment of metal powders in order to improve their processability by additive manufacturing (AM). The invention consists in bonding primary particles constituted of metals or metal alloys to a plurality of secondary particles constituted of metals, metal alloys, ceramics or polymers by the mean of a non-thermal plasma treatment. The primary particles have a larger mean diameter than the secondary. Both particles are injected through a non-thermal plasma glow discharge and/or in its afterglow region (region downstream the plasma discharge) where their surfaces are cleaned by removing contaminants and/or oxide layer and activated to react between each other. The functionalized metal powders are then collected and afterwards processed by AM leading to high quality parts. The functionalized metal powders produced by this plasma treatment improve the processability of metal by AM. Indeed, decreasing the reflectivity, removing contaminant and oxide layer, enhancing the isotropic solidification of melted materials and decreasing the sintering temperature enhance the efficiency of powder based AM processes.

The present invention relates to a method for treating a sample using glow-discharge plasma, in an apparatus comprising a treatment vessel, an electrode, a counter-electrode, and a power supply comprising one or more transformers and having a first transformer setting and a second transformer setting, the method comprising: (i) a loading step, involving loading the sample into the treatment vessel; (ii) a first treatment step involving treating the sample in a glow-discharge plasma formed within the treatment vessel by applying an electric field between the electrode and counter-electrode at the first transformer setting; (iii) a second treatment step involving treating the sample in a glow-discharge plasma formed within the treatment vessel by applying an electric field between the electrode and counter-electrode at the second transformer setting; and (iv) a removal step, involving removing treated sample from the treatment vessel. The method can be used to functionalize a sample. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for use in such a method.

A system, method and apparatus for creating an electric glow discharge includes a non-conductive housing having a longitudinal axis, a first opening aligned with the longitudinal axis, and a second opening aligned with the longitudinal axis and opposite the first opening, a first electrically conductive screen disposed proximate to the first opening of the housing and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a second electrically conductive screen disposed proximate to the second opening of the housing and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the second electrically conductive screen separated from the first electrically conductive screen by a substantially equidistant gap, a non-conductive granular material disposed within the substantially equidistant gap, and the electric glow discharge is created whenever the first electrically conductive screen has a first polarity, the second electrically conductive screen has a second polarity, and an electrically conductive fluid is introduced into the substantially equidistant gap.