Patent ID: 7410630

Claim:
An industrial method for obtaining a carbon fiber body from a carbon-precursor fiber body made of fibers in a carbon-precursor material, the method comprising: placing the carbon-precursor fiber body in an oven; performing in the oven a first stage heating of the carbon-precursor fiber body under a first pressure and up to a first temperature in the range from 750 to 1,100° C. to transform the carbon-precursor material to carbon and obtain the carbon fiber body, wherein a first gaseous effluent containing gaseous carbonization by-products is continuously extracted via a first extractor device; performing in the oven a second stage healing of the carbon fiber body under a second pressure lower than the first pressure and up to a second temperature to sublime sodium contained in the carbon fiber body, and introducing an inert gas into the oven and continuously extracting a second gaseous effluent containing the inert gas and sublimed sodium via a second extractor device, wherein the second extractor device comprises a shaft having baffle plates to trap solids contained in the second gaseous effluent, the first stage heating and the second stage heating performed sequentially with the carbon fiber body in the oven, wherein transitions between the first stage heating and the second stage heating include switching between extraction of the first gaseous effluent and the second gaseous effluent by switching between the first extractor device and the second extractor device.