Gas delivery system with constant overpressure relative to ambient to system with varying vacuum suction

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:

• a suction generator providing a varying suction at the mixture outlet of the particle production reactor;
• a pressure regulation module receiving a conditioning fluid at an original pressure from a conditioning fluid supply module;
• the pressure regulation module reducing the pressure of the conditioning fluid from the original pressure to a selected pressure relative to the ambient pressure, wherein the pressure regulation module maintains the reduction of the conditioning fluid pressure to the same selected pressure regardless of any changes in the suction force at the mixture outlet of the reactor;
• a supply chamber receiving the conditioning fluid at the selected pressure from the pressure regulation module, wherein the supply chamber is fluidly coupled to the conditioning fluid inlet of the particle production reactor;
• the particle production reactor receiving a working gas through the working gas inlet;
• the particle production reactor energizing the working gas to form a plasma stream;
• the particle production reactor receiving powder particles through the powder supply port;
• the particle production reactor receiving the conditioning fluid from the supply chamber through the conditioning fluid inlet;
• the particle production chamber combining the plasma stream, the powder particles and the conditioning fluid, thereby altering the powder particles and forming a mixture stream, wherein the altered powder particles are entrained within the mixture stream;
• and
• the mixture stream flowing to the mixture outlet of the particle production reactor.