Inventors:
Mahendra P. Mathur - Pittsburgh PA
Yuan C. Fu - Muroran, JP
James M. Ekmann - Pittsburgh PA
John M. Boyle - Pittsburgh PA
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States
Department of Energy - Washington DC
International Classification:
F23J 1100
Abstract:
A method of destroying NO. sub. x and SO. sub. 2 in a combustion gas in disclosed. The method includes generating active species by treating stable moleucles in a high temperature plasma. Ammonia, methane, steam, hydrogen, nitrogen or a combination of these gases can be selected as the stable molecules. The gases are subjected to plasma conditions sufficient to create free radicals, ions or excited atoms such as N, NH, NH. sub. 2, OH. sup. -, CH and/or CH. sub. 2. These active species are injected into a combustion gas at a location of sufficiently high temperature to maintain the species in active state and permit them to react with NO. sub. x and SO. sub. 2. Typically the injection is made into the immediate post-combustion gases at temperatures of 475. degree. -950. degree. C.