Study of the plasma based production of tetrafluoroethylene

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:A method was developed at the Atomic Energy Corporation of South Africa (AEC) for theplasma based production of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE). The process involves the feeding ofcarbon particles into a direct-current CF4 plasma. The resultant plasma gas is quenched rapidlyto obtain TFE and other fluorocarbons. The mixing of the particles with the plasma gas is veryimportant in order to achieve a high C:F-ratio in the gas phase, which promotes the desiredreactions. The gas enthalpy in the reactor is a governing factor in the TFE yields that areobtained.In this study research was done on particle mixing and the enthalpy distribution in the laboratoryscale reactor. An enthalpy probe was used as the main diagnostic tool. Results indicated thatparticle mixing is quite uniform throughout the reactor. A basic one-dimensional mechanisticmodel of the reactor was also expanded to assist in· the scale-up of the process. In its presentform the model is adequate for predicting trends in the reactor. The model could still beexpanded further to include reaction kinetics and internal heat transfer in the particles.Considering the restrictions of the model, satisfactory agreement was obtained between themodel and experimental results.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University