RU2185219C1 - Method for rendering highly toxic compounds harmless - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine. SUBSTANCE: method involves producing gas mixture of the highly toxic compound to be rendered harmless and reagent activating the neutralization process, treating the so produced gas mixture in plasma reactor by irradiating with accelerated charged particles beam and discharging the neutralization products. Product obtained in the plasma reactor is cooled to a predefined temperature and the condensed ingredients are separated and then sublimated and returned back into the plasma reactor. The ingredients remaining in gas state are discharged as harmless products. EFFECT: enhanced effectiveness of toxic compound decomposition and cleaning the output products. 4 cl, 1 dwg

Description

Technical field
The invention relates to technologies for the disposal of highly toxic compounds, for example chemical poisons.

State of the art
Known methods of neutralizing highly toxic (toxic) compounds, including obtaining a gas mixture of a neutralized toxic compound with a reagent that activates the neutralization process, thermochemical treatment of the resulting mixture and removal of neutralization products [1], [2].

 The thermochemical treatment of the gas mixture according to the method [1] is carried out by burning neutralized gas in a hydrogen-oxygen flame; according to the method [2], high-temperature gas from the combustion chamber of a jet engine is used for thermochemical processing.

 The disadvantage of the methods [1] and [2] is the lack of versatility with respect to the neutralized gas.

 Known methods of neutralizing toxic compounds based on their irradiation with a beam of accelerated electrons, suitable for the neutralization of a wide range of toxic substances [3], [4].

 The disadvantage of the method [3] is the incomplete decomposition of toxic compounds and the danger of their occurrence in the neutralization output products, and the method [4] is the low productivity associated with the need to place the neutralized substance in metal capsules, the sizes of which are comparable with the electron penetration depth.

 Known selected as a prototype method for the disposal of highly toxic compounds, based on their decomposition in a plasma reactor [5]. The prototype method includes obtaining a gas mixture of a neutralized compound with a reagent that activates the neutralization process, processing the resulting gas mixture in a plasma reactor and removing the neutralization products.

 The method [5] is versatile in relation to the neutralized gas and does not have fundamental performance limitations.

 The disadvantage of the prototype is the possibility of getting into the output products of the neutralization process of undecomposed starting compounds or other toxic substances formed during the neutralization process. This disadvantage is especially significant when neutralizing large quantities of highly toxic compounds such as chemical poisons.

 The objective of the invention is to increase the efficiency of decomposition of toxic compounds and purification of the output products of the neutralization process.

Disclosure of invention
The subject of the invention is a method of neutralizing highly toxic compounds, for example chemical poisons, comprising obtaining a gas mixture of a neutralized compound with a reagent that activates the neutralization process, treating the resulting gas mixture in a plasma reactor and removing the neutralization products, characterized according to the invention in that the product of processing the gas mixture in a plasma the reactor is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the condensed components are separated, sublimated and returned schayut into the plasma reactor and components remaining in the gaseous state is output as the neutralization products.

 This improves the efficiency of decomposition of toxic compounds and purification of the output products of the neutralization process.

 The invention has a development consisting in the fact that the gas mixture being processed in a plasma reactor is irradiated with a stream of accelerated charged particles.

 This allows you to increase the speed and efficiency of the plasma-chemical decomposition of toxic compounds.

 The invention has another development, consisting in the fact that as a reagent that activates the disinfection process, use oxygen or fluorine.

 This allows you to choose an activating gas depending on the type of neutralized compound and the available equipment.

 The invention has another development, consisting in the fact that they control the hydrogen content in the products of neutralization and it is used to judge the completion of the plasma-chemical treatment.

 This allows you to empirically refine the estimated time for completion of the neutralization process.

The implementation of the invention
The drawing shows a block diagram illustrating the implementation of the method, taking into account its development.

It contains:
- plasma reactor - 1;
- accelerator of charged particles - 2;
- inductor coils - 3;
- a source of high-frequency power - 4;
- mixer - 5;
- cooler - 6;
- condenser (temperature trap) - 7;
- evaporator - 8;
- valves - 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14;
- input nodes - 15 and output - 16 charged particles.

 The neutralization of toxic compounds is as follows.

 At the first stage of the process, the valves 11, 12, 13 and 14 are closed.

 Neutralized compound and activating reagent in a gaseous state under pressure are supplied to the mixer 5 through valves 9 and 10, respectively. The resulting mixture enters the plasma reactor 1. As an activating process for the neutralization of the reagent, for example, oxygen or fluorine can be used.

 At the beginning of the next stage of the process, the valves 9 and 10 are closed.

Source 4 with coils 3 is an induction plasmatron, which induces in the gas mixture fed into plasma reactor 1 a high-frequency discharge heating the gas and maintaining it in a low-temperature plasma state (plasma temperature up to ~ 10 ⁴ K).

 In the volume of the plasma in the reactor 1, the processes of atom ionization occur intensively, plasma-chemical processes leading to the destruction of bonds in gas molecules, the combination of molecular fragments of toxic compounds with oxygen (fluorine), and the destruction of newly formed molecules.

 In this case, less toxic, non-toxic and low toxic reaction products are formed from the plasma substance. In addition, in the volume of chamber 1, the molecules of the initial toxic compound presenting the greatest danger can be preserved.

 A complete 100% decomposition of the starting compounds cannot be achieved if at least some of the decomposition products and chemical reactions, in particular, the products of the interaction of molecular fragments of toxic compounds with oxygen, are not removed from chamber 1.

 At the next stage of the process, the valves 11 and 12 are opened, and the plasma stream is directed to the condenser 7 through a cooler 6, in which the product of the plasma-chemical reaction is pre-cooled to temperatures safe for the equipment of unit 7. Cooler 6 is a heat exchanger in which the plasma gives off its heat cooling medium (the cooling medium line is not shown) and again passes into a mixture of gases - decomposition products.

 The stream of gas mixture cooled in block 6 passes into a condenser 7, which functions as a low-temperature trap. In the condenser 7, the gaseous components coming from block 6 are further cooled to a predetermined temperature, which should not exceed the condensation temperature of the neutralized compound. In this case, the components, the condensation temperature of which is not lower than the set one, condense and accumulate in a liquid state in block 7. As a result, the products of the plasma-chemical reaction are separated into a liquid fraction containing toxic components, including the initial toxic compound, and a fraction containing light components remaining in the gaseous state : water vapor, oxygen, hydrogen and other non-toxic or low toxic components.

 Then the valve 12 is closed, and the gaseous fraction is pumped out by the compressor (not shown) from the condenser 7 to the outlet 17 as a non-toxic product of neutralization, and the accumulated liquid fraction remains in the condenser 7.

 Valve 13 is closed during previous stages. At the next stage of the process, it opens, and the liquid from the condenser 7 enters the evaporator 8, where it is sublimated and fed through a pre-opened valve 14 for re-treatment to the reactor 1 through a mixer 5 (as shown in the drawing) or directly.

 After processing the portion of toxic compounds that entered the mixer 5 through valve 9, all valves are set to their original state, and the neutralization cycle is repeated.

 The amount of hydrogen passed to the outlet 17, including that contained in water vapor and other gaseous compounds, is an indicator of how (to what extent) the substance of the toxic compound was decomposed during the described cycle of its processing. The duration of this cycle can also be determined by calculation.

 To increase the speed and efficiency of the plasma-chemical decomposition process, the gas mixture processed in reactor 1 is additionally irradiated with a beam of accelerated charged particles (electrons or protons) coming from accelerator 2 through input unit 15 to reactor 1. Irradiation with charged particles allows increasing the depth of plasma ionization (up to to complete "stripping" of electronic shells). As the accelerator 2 can be used, for example, an electron accelerator in the form of an electron gun or a cyclotron-type proton accelerator that supports the movement of particles through nodes 15 and 16 along a closed path 18, so as to ensure that they repeatedly intersect the volume of reactor 1.

Sources of information
1. RF patent 2116811 C1, IPC A 62 D 3/00, 1992.

 2. RF patent 2005519 C1, IPC A 62 D 3/00, 1992.

 3. Auth. testimonial. USSR 1472118, IPC B 01 J 19/08, 1989.

 4. RF patent 2132727, IPC B 01 J 19/08, 1999.

 5. Patent EP 0412107 B1, IPC A 62 D 3/00, 1992.

Claims (4)

 1. A method of neutralizing highly toxic compounds, which consists in obtaining a gas mixture of a neutralized highly toxic compound with a reagent that activates the process of neutralization, subject it to plasma-chemical treatment and irradiate with a stream of charged particles, cool to a predetermined temperature, remove the remaining components in the gaseous products of neutralization condition, and the condensed components are sublimated and returned to the plasma-chemical treatment and irradiation.  2. The method according to p. 1, in which oxygen or fluorine is used as a reagent that activates the neutralization process.  3. The method according to p. 1, in which the hydrogen content in the products of neutralization is controlled and judged by it to complete the process.  4. The method according to p. 1, in which chemical poisonous substances are used as a highly toxic compound.