MIXING STUDY OF THE INDUCTION PLASMA REACTOR .2. RADIAL INJECTION MODE

A study was undertaken on the mixing pattern in an induction plasma torch and reactor system. The results presented in this part of the paper relate to the radial injection mode, in which an auxiliary gas is injected into the main plasma stream through a set of 2, 4, or 8 injection ports located in the torch nozzle at the level of the torch exit flange. A much faster mixing of the gases occurred in this mode compared to the axial injection mode investigated in Part I of this paper. As in the case of axial injection, the present study demonstrates that gas mixing, in the presence of the discharge, is considerably more difficult than under ambient temperature conditions. Lower turbulence levels exist in the plasma reactor, due to the considerably higher viscosity of the gases under plasma conditions. Results obtained with a three-point injection flange, in which the injection ports were oriented at 45-degrees to the torch and reactor axes toward the upstream side, were most interesting since they achieved essentially the same degree of mixing as was obtained with the radial injection ports without the need to locate the injection ports at the exit nozzle of the plasma torch. This arrangement provides for added flexibility in reactor design.