Device for recovering sodium hydride

• Main Authors: Putvinski, Sergei, Agnew, Stephen
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 16.01.2003

A device and method for producing sodium (Na) from a feed material such as a mixture of methane (CH 4 ) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) includes a plasma torch configured to heat the feed material to a temperature sufficient to reduce and ionize sodium (Na). As such, a plasma jet is created by the plasma torch that contains ionized sodium (Na) and non-ionized neutrals such as hydrogen (H) and carbon monoxide (CO). From the plasma torch, the plasma jet is introduced into a chamber where a magnetic field has been established. Once inside the chamber the heated mixture of ions and neutrals interacts with the magnetic field in the chamber to cause the sodium ions to travel substantially along the magnetic field lines while the neutrals travel on paths that are essentially unaffected by the magnetic field. A collector is positioned to receive and accumulate sodium (Na).