Description

PROCESS FOR ENERGY CREATION USING PLASMA TREATMENT OF METALS, METAL SALTS AND METALLOIDS AND DEVICE FOR THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH PROCESS Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a process for treating products comprising metals, metal salts and metalloids by plasmas for creating energy which may be used in motors or generators. More especially, the products are preferably recycled through successive oxidizations and reductions during the implementation of the process according to the invention.

Background art

[0002] The growing needs in energy of the human beings require that a new form of energy production should be found, which should provide clean energy. [0003] Indeed, the use of nuclear energy for instance leads to an environmental problematic related to the remediation of the nuclear wastes produced thereby.

[0004] Searches have been conducted for years now in the field of nuclear fusion which is supposed to give rise to a huge amount of energy, but which still remains difficult to control. This form of energy source is thus still at the stage of a scientific experimentation and is not ready to be implemented as a conventional energy source. Disclosure of the invention

[0005] A main object of the present invention is to provide an energy source which may produce a sufficient amount of energy for responding to the growing energy needs, and which at the same time may be a clean energy source. Such an energy source according to the invention may be used for instance as a complement to nuclear energies or fuel cells.

[0006] For that purpose, the process according to the invention and as mentioned above is characterized by the fact that it comprises the steps consisting in providing a payload of products comprising metals, metal salts and/or metalloids, through an input of a treatment circuit, providing a plasma in said treatment circuit, the latter comprising a acceleration system for forcing said plasma to circulate within said

treatment circuit, introducing and confining said payload of products within said plasma for a predefined duration, adjusting the temperature of said plasma as a function of the nature of the products to be treated before conducting an injection of at least one reaction gas in said treatment circuit such that it reacts with said payload of products for conducting an exothermic reaction of the latter, collecting at least part of the released exothermic reaction energy. [0007] Thanks to these features of the process according to the invention, the exothermic reaction energy, which includes the inner quantum energy emitted by the exothermic reaction due to the changes occurring in the electronic energy levels of the involved metals and, for instance, the energy transfer when Silicon is used in combination with other metals such as Aluminium, Magnesium, Boron, Zinc, Uranium, can be collected to be used in thermal motors and/or generators.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the process comprises a step consisting in treating the plasma together with the payload of products in a MHD-MGD (Magneto Hydro Dynamics - Magneto

Gas Dynamics) system so as to transform the payload of products in a state of microparticles and nanoparticles before carrying out the exothermic reaction. This additional step improves the reaction yield, while at least part of the payload of products may be recycled after the exothermic reaction by injection of at least one reaction gas in the treatment circuit such that it reacts with the payload of products for conducting a reduction of the corresponding metals, metal salts and/or metalloids.

[0009] The metals, metal salts and/or metalloids may advantageously be taken among the group comprising Iron, Aluminium, Zinc, Lanthanides, Yttrium, Magnesium, Boron, Lanthanum hexaboride, Alkalis including Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Scandium, Silicon, Germanium, Uranium 238,

Thorium, Cesium, as well as precious metals from the Platinum Metal Group ("PMG") such as Silver or Platinum. They may be introduced in the treatment circuit in the form of a powder or of a liquid.

[0010] The present invention is also directed to a device for implementing the above process, the features and advantages of which will be apparent from the following description. Brief description of the drawings [0011] The appended drawings illustrate, schematically and by way of example, a preferred embodiment of a device for the implementation of the process according to the present invention. [0012] - Figure 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a device for implementing the process according to the invention, and [0013] - Figure 2 is a view of a construction detail of figure 1.

Mode(s) for carrying out the invention [0014] Figure 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a device comprising a treatment circuit 1 in which the process according to the invention may advantageously be implemented. [0015] The treatment circuit 1 comprises an ablation chamber 2 provided with different inputs and intended to generate a plasma to which a payload of products may me mixed. [0016] Figure 2 represents an exemplary embodiment of the ablation chamber 2 according to a preferred implementation of the invention. [0017] The ablation chamber may comprise a plasma generation gas input 4 through which Argon, Helium or Nitrogen for instance may be introduced in the treatment circuit. [0018] A DC plasma torch 5 may be provided as well as a RF/HF plasma torch 6 for generation of a plasma in the ablation chamber. Further, a CO2 laser 7 may be provided for heating a payload of products that might be introduced through a metal providing inlet 8. The latter may be connected to a conventional gravity chamber 9 the purpose of which being to limit access to the ablation chamber only to metallic powder particles the size of which is smaller than a predefined value. [0019] A metallic gaseous solution, typically called a "sol", comprising the plasma gas and fine metal particles is formed in the ablation chamber 2 due to the high temperature gradient that may approximately rise to 2 ¹ OOO to 3'000K.

The generated plasmas may be in a Local Thermal Equilibrium (LTE)

state, in a Non Local Thermal Equilibrium (NLTE) state, or in a Partial Local Thermal Equilibrium (PLTE) state.

[0020] They may be generated under a continuous mode and/or under a pulsed mode. Pulsed mode is however preferred to continuous mode, in order to avoid overheating of the parietal surfaces of the plasma chambers, the corresponding instabilities of the plasma being negligible compared to the physical advantages of the simplicity of this methodology.

[0021] As previously mentioned, the payload of products provided by the gravity chamber may comprise metals, metal salts and/or metalloids which may advantageously be taken among the group comprising Iron, Aluminium,

Zinc, Lanthanides, Yttrium, Magnesium, Boron, Lanthanum hexaboride, Alkalis including Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Scandium, Silicon, Germanium, Uranium 238, Thorium, Cesium as well as precious metals from the Platinum Metal Group ("PMG") such as Silver or Platinum. [0022] The ablation chamber may receive powders that are inhomogeneous in size and/or composition and that may alternately be introduced by means of pumps or turbines.

[0023] Referring back to Figure 1 , it appears that the ablation chamber 2 has an output 11 connected to a first reacting gas chamber 12. Only microparticles, preferably nanoparticles, are carried to this chamber by the plasma where they are reduced if necessary. The size of the particles may be calculated with a mathematical program (Beer-Lambert law) coupled to a quantum device for measuring absorption of a specific light (R, IR, UV).

[0024] Further or alternately, an X-ray diffraction analyser or a laser analyser may be provided for analysing the particle size in the metallic plasma solution.

The particles, either of metals, metal salts or metalloids (B, Si, Fe, Mg, Zn,

U, Th, Ge...) may advantageously be microparticles, more preferably nanoparticles having an approximate size between 10 and 500nm.

[0025] First reacting gases, such as H2, D2, N2, CO2, Ar, He, N2O, NxOy, CO... for instance, are introduced in this chamber 12 through poly-injectors to prepare the plasma solution to the following steps of the treatment. For that purpose, soft exothermic reactions occur in the first reacting gas chamber 12, to implement a pre-heating of the plasma solution.

[0026] The plasma is then conducted through an accelerating system 14 the purpose of which is to force the plasma to move forward in the treatment circuit 1 and increase the rate of nanoparticles in the metallic plasma solution. In the preferred exemplary embodiment as represented, the accelerating system is a MHD-MGD system that may be of any suitable shape, advantageously toroidal as described in application PCT/EP2007/000676 for instance. Indeed, the toroidal shape of the MHD- MGD system allows a better control of the timing of the process as well as of the plasma temperature. [0027] Alternately, a turbine system may replace the MHD-MGD system, such mechanical systems being however more exposed to wear in the corresponding extreme conditions of use.

[0028] Several pieces of equipment may be provided for diagnosing the plasma in the accelerating system 14. [0029] It should be noted that the pulsed mode of the plasma may not be used in any part of the treatment circuit. It may be used in the ablation chamber 11 and in the MHD-MGD 14 system however.

[0030] The treatment circuit comprises then a relaxation chamber or sphere 16 in which the heaviest metal particles are filtered by gravity to be removed from the metallic plasma solution before going further in the process.

[0031] A tesla turbine 17 may be provided optionally for accelerating the plasma when necessary if the motion induced by the MHD-MGD system is not sufficient.

[0032] The plasma enters then an ignition chamber 18 in which further reacting gases are introduced in order to conduct an exothermic reaction. In a first cycle, oxidizing gases may be introduced such as 02, which may be diluted in Ar or He so as to control the quantity of released energy and the reaction time which may be approximately between 10 and 700ms. The metals, metal salts or metalloids being oxidized, the corresponding reaction may be highly exothermic.

[0033] Other suitable oxidizing gases may comprise O3, CO2, NxOy... and the one skilled in the art will not encounter any particular difficulty in choosing

a suitable gas with respect to his specific needs, without going beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0034] The metallic particles may be at a temperature approximately between

380 ⁰ C and 780 ⁰ C when arriving in the ignition chamber 18, the ignition temperature being approximately between 800 ⁰ C and 95O ⁰ C, depending on the products to be treated. The ignition time may be between 500 and

1 '250ms also as a function of the products to be treated.

[0035] The oxidized metallic plasma solution then goes through an analyser station 20 for conducting a plasma diagnostic. The analyser station may comprise any suitable analysing system encompassing conventional spectroscopic techniques such as ICP-AES (ICP-AES: Inductive Coupled

Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectroscopy), ICP-MS (ICP-MS: Inductive

Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectroscopy), AAS (AAS: Atomic Absorption

Spectroscopy) for the natural elements (metals) and by GC-MS (GC-MS: Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectroscopy) techniques for molecules.

[0036] The energy released by the exothermic reaction is collected in a collector 21 and may directly be used in thermal motors and/or generators.

[0037] Next, the plasma is recycled through a recycling loop 22 including a cryozone 23 which may cool down the plasma temperature when required. [0038] An emergency output 24 may also be provided in the treatment circuit 1 , to allow a fast removal of the products, possibly by activation of the tesla turbine, in case of a dysfunction of the treatment circuit.

[0039] The plasma is then recycled by going through the previous process steps with the difference that the reacting gases used in the first reacting gas chamber 12 and in the ignition chamber 18 are reducing gases, such as

H2, D2, CO... for instance, in order to reduce to species formed during the exothermic reaction and to recover the initial metal, metal salt or metalloid particles.

[0040] Those latter can then go again through the process to carry out a new exothermic reaction and release more energy, either by going again through the first reacting chamber 12, which may play the role of a relaxation chamber allowing recovery of the initial species, or directly through the MHD-MGD system 14.

[0041] Where Silicon (or Germanium) is used in combination with other metals such as Aluminium, Magnesium, Boron, Zinc, Uranium, a corresponding energy transfer may be further collected to be used in thermal motors and/or generators. Indeed, it is a known phenomenon that when it is irradiated with luminous energy (such like that which is released by the plasma) Silicon releases electrons and those can be optionally collected by provision of suitable electrodes.

[0042] The microparticles, more preferably the nanoparticles, may be reduced and oxidized as many times as necessary all along the recycling process detailed above.

[0043] Consequently, only one payload of metals, metal salts or metalloids may be necessary to keep the process active across a time period lasting from several hours to several days. Addition of some product may be necessary to impede the loss of material deposited on parietal zones of the plasma chambers (MHD-MGD system). Typically, a payload may have a weight between 2Og and several kg or even tons, depending upon the power which has to be released.

[0044] Temperature probes may be provided in different locations of the treatment circuit such as in the first reacting chamber 12, in the MHD-MGD system 14 and/or in the ablation chamber 2 to measure a macroscopic temperature of the products to be treated. Three conventional kinetic temperatures may be calculated for the plasmas using the Griem criteria, for instance, together with the diagnostics that are carried out in the analyser station 20, through means of RF induction and conventional resistive methods (Carbon I line at 2'478,556 Angstrom, neutral Argon lines at 4'300 Angstrom and at 4'158,39 Angstrom).

[0045] It should be noted that the plasma pressure can be decreased and the quantity of the introduced species increased (such as Ln3+ (Lanthanides), Alkali (Li, K, Na, Ca, Cs...) and BN3 (Boron Nitride)), thus the LTE is stressed and the temperature is decreased very near to the plasma shutoff. Consequently, the parietal zones are protected, even if the MHD- MGD system efficiency is considerably diminished.

[0046] The plasma temperature is quite adapted to recycle externally the gases (via tesla turbine 17) to replace the loss of payload or kinetics in the plasma.

[0047] The present invention is also directed to a device, or treatment circuit, for implementation of the above described process. The features of this device appear from the preceding detailed description of the drawings.

[0048] From a practical point of view, the dimensions of the treatment circuit 1 depend on the quantity of energy to be released.

[0049] For instance, regarding the ablation chamber 2, it may be more than one meter diameter for supply units intended for boats or for factories. For smaller supply units, it may be smaller than one meter in diameter but should however be larger than approximately 0,2 meter.

[0050] The gravity chamber 9 may have a volume between 1 and 30 litres while the first reacting chamber 12 may have a diameter between 0,2m and several meters.

[0051] The MHD-MGD system may be toroidal, according to a preferred exemplary embodiment. The tore may have a diameter between 0,3m and several meters with cross sections between a few centimetres and a few tens of centimetres. [0052] Regarding the relaxation chamber 16 and the ignition chamber 18, each may have a diameter between 0,2 meter and several meters.

[0053] The features of the process for energy creation and the treatment circuit for its implementation are described in the present description in a non- limiting manner. More especially, the given examples are non-limiting. The one skilled in the art will encounter no particular difficulty to adapt either part of the description as a function of his needs without going beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0054] It should be noted that the invention may be carried out either on Earth or for conducting exo-metallurgy on other planets. It may also be implemented for energy transfer in space and ground propulsion. The gases to be used may be extracted from the ground of such planets, for example if the planet atmospheres do not comprise the necessary gases to generate plasmas.

The present invention may be used also to treat and destroy highly toxic molecules, as described in application PCT/EP2007/000676, already mentioned. It could also be implemented to refine precious metals.