Patent ID: 8956574
Filing Date: 2015-02-17
Classification: A61L,B01J,B22F,F28C,F28D,F28F,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of supplying an overpressure gas to a particle production reactor operating in an environment having an ambient pressure, the reactor having a working gas inlet, a conditioning fluid inlet, a powder supply port, and a mixture outlet, wherein the method comprises the steps of: generating a suction force at the mixture outlet of the particle production reactor by a suction generator; receiving, by a pressure regulation module, a conditioning fluid at an original pressure from a conditioning fluid supply module; reducing, by the pressure regulation module, the pressure of the conditioning fluid from the original pressure to a selected pressure relative to the ambient pressure, wherein said selected pressure is above ambient pressure; maintaining the reduction of the conditioning fluid pressure, by the pressure regulation module, to the same selected pressure relative to the ambient pressure regardless of any changes in the suction force at the mixture outlet of the reactor; receiving the conditioning fluid at the selected pressure from the pressure regulation module, by a supply chamber fluidly coupled to the conditioning fluid inlet of the particle production reactor; receiving a working gas through the working gas inlet, by the particle production reactor; energizing the working gas by the particle production reactor, thereby forming a plasma stream; receiving, by the particle production reactor, powder particles through the powder supply port; receiving, by the particle production reactor, the conditioning fluid from the supply chamber through the conditioning fluid inlet; combining the plasma stream, the powder particles and the conditioning fluid, by the particle production chamber, thereby altering the powder particles and forming a mixture stream, wherein the altered powder particles are entrained within the mixture stream; and flowing the mixture stream to the mixture outlet of the particle production reactor.