Plasma disintegration for waste material

Claim 2

Apparatus for disintegrating waste comprising: (a) chamber means for receiving said waste; (b) means comprising an array of nozzle means mounted within said chamber means for generating flame plumes of high temperature plasma extending into said chamber means to disintegrate said waste in steps; (c) means for supplying a gas to said chamber means through said nozzle means; and (d) means for withdrawing from said chamber means said gas containing the disintegration products of said waste produced by said plumes of plasma.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said array of nozzle means is arranged within said chamber means to permit the disintegration to take place in said steps.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 having means to energize each of said nozzle means to produce a plume of plasma in a predetermined sequence, said gas flowing through each said nozzle means continuously effectively cooling said nozzle means both during energization and when not energized, extending the useful life of each of said nozzle means.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 having means to extract said gas containing said disintegration products.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 having means for filtering said gas extracted from said container to remove any remaining liquid and solid components of said waste.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 in which said chamber means is formed by container means to receive a batch of waste, said container means forming a bottom opening on which said batch of waste resides, said batch being disintegrated in stages by said nozzle means.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 in which said extract means includes outlet means at said bottom opening.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 1 in which said array of nozzle means comprises a plurality of parallel, spaced extended nozzle members having nozzle openings on the front face along the length of each nozzle member, a plurality of parallel, spaced electric bus bar means arranged vertical to said nozzle members behind said nozzle members, a socket formed in said nozzle members behind each said nozzle opening, an electrode supported at one end by said bus bar means extending into each of said sockets forming nozzles with said nozzle openings.

Claim 10

An array of separate nozzles for producing sequentially flame plumes of high temperature plasma comprising: (a) electrically conductive spaced, flat nozzle means containing nozzle openings on the front face thereof which are formed into an array; (b) extended electrically conductive spaced means mounted along the rear face of said nozzle means arranged along a Y axis having openings aligned with said nozzle openings; (c) extended electrically conductive, spaced conductive means arranged along an X axis supporting electrodes extending into said openings forming nozzles so that each nozzle has an X and Y axis address; (d) means for supplying electric power across said extended X and Y axis spaced conductive means forming flame plumes of high temperature plasma; (e) means for supplying a cooling gas through said nozzles for directing said plumes out of said nozzle openings thereby cooling all of said nozzles means whether or not energized; and (f) means for controlling the flow of electricity along said X and Y axes so as to produce said plumes in a predetermined sequence of said nozzles.

Claim 11

An array of separate nozzles for producing sequentially flame plumes of high temperature plasma comprising: (a) electrically conductive spaced, flat nozzle means containing nozzle openings on the front face thereof which are formed into an array; (b) extended electrically conductive spaced means mounted along the rear face of said nozzle means arranged along a Y axis having openings aligned with said nozzle openings; (c) extended electrically conductive, spaced conductive means arranged along an X axis supporting electrodes extending into said openings forming nozzles so that each nozzle has an X and Y axis address; (d) means for supplying electric power across said extended X and Y axis spaced conductive means forming flame plumes of high temperature plasma; (e) means for supplying a cooling gas through said nozzles for directing said plumes out of said nozzle openings thereby cooling all of said nozzles means whether or not energized; and (f) means for controlling the flow of electricity along said X and Y axes so as to produce said plumes in a predetermined sequence of said nozzles.

Claim 14

The method of claim 10 in which said waste is placed in a chamber, said array of nozzles lining a wall of said chamber.

Claim 15

The method of claim 11 in which said gas is withdrawn from said chamber containing the disintegration products of said waste produced by said plumes of plasma.