# US 2014/0151939 A1 · Fluid recirculation system for use in vapor phase particle production system

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- Number: US 2014/0151939 A1
- Document ID: US20140151939A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/907,667
- Filed: 2013-05-31
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2007-05-11
- Assignees: SDCmaterials, Inc.
- Applicants: SDCmaterials, Inc.
- Inventors: Frederick P. LAYMAN
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151939A1

## CPC

- F28C 3/16: the particulate material forming a bed, e.g. fluidised, on vibratory sieves
- A61L 2/18: Liquid substances
- B01J 2/16: by suspending the powder material in a gas, e.g. in fluidised beds or as a falling curtain
- B01J 19/0013: {Controlling the temperature of the process}
- B01J 19/088: {giving rise to electric discharges (for heating purposes H05B7/00; for the production of ozone C01B13/11, H01T19/00)}
- B01J 25/00: Catalysts of the Raney type
- B01J 25/02: Raney nickel
- B01J 37/0018: {Addition of a binding agent or of material, later completely removed among others as result of heat treatment, leaching or washing,(e.g. forming of pores; protective layer, desintegrating by heat)}
- B01J 37/0027: {Powdering}
- B01J 37/06: Washing {(B01J37/0009, B01J37/0018 take precedence)}
- B01J 37/349: {making use of flames, plasmas or lasers}
- B22F 9/12: starting from gaseous material
- F28D 15/00: Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls {; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies (F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence)}
- F28F 27/00: Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus (control arrangements in general G05)
- B01J 2219/0805: giving rise to electric discharges
- B01J 2219/0879: Solid
- B01J 2219/0894: Processes carried out in the presence of a plasma
- B22F 2203/13: pressure
- B22F 2999/00: Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
- F28D 7/024: {the conduits of only one medium being helically coiled tubes, the coils having a cylindrical configuration}
- F28D 7/08: the conduits being otherwise bent, e.g. in a serpentine or zig-zag (F28D7/10 takes precedence){(F28D7/0016 and F28D7/0033 take precedence)}
- Y10S 623/92: Method or apparatus for preparing or treating prosthetic
- Y10S 623/923: Bone
- Y10T 137/0391: Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy
- Y10T 137/2076: Utilizing diverse fluids
- Y10T 156/15: Combined or convertible surface bonding means and/or assembly means
- F28C: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITHOUT CHEMICAL INTERACTION (safety devices in general F16P; fluid heaters having heat generating means F24H; with an intermediate heat-transfer medium coming into direct contact with heat-exchange media F28D15/00 - F28D19/00; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general application F28F)
- A61L: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES (preservation of bodies or disinfecting characterised by the agents employed A01N; preserving, e.g. sterilising, food or foodstuffs A23; preparations for medical, dental or toiletry purposes A61K)
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general)
- F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method of and system for recirculating a fluid in a particle production system. A reactor produces a reactive particle-gas mixture. A quench chamber mixes a conditioning fluid with the reactive particle-gas mixture, producing a cooled particle-gas mixture that comprises a plurality of precursor material particles and an output fluid. A filter element filters the output fluid, producing a filtered output. A temperature control module controls the temperature of the filtered output, producing a temperature-controlled, filtered output. A content ratio control module modulates the content of the temperature-controlled, filtered output, thereby producing a content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output. A channeling element supplies the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output to the quench chamber, wherein the content-controlled, filtered output is provided to the quench chamber as the conditioning fluid to be used in cooling the reactive particle-gas mixture.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A particle production system, comprising:
a) a particle production core configured to:
i. produce a reactive particle-gas mixture from a precursor material and a working gas, and
ii. quench the reactive particle-gas mixture using a conditioning fluid, thereby producing a cooled particle-gas mixture, the cooled particle-gas mixture comprising a plurality of precursor material particles and an output fluid, the output fluid including the conditioning fluid; and
b) a fluid recirculation system fluidly coupled to the particle production core and configured to:
i. receive the cooled particle-gas mixture from the particle production core,
ii. remove the plurality of precursor material particles from the cooled particle-gas mixture, thereby producing a filtered output including the output fluid,
iii. modulate a content ratio of the filtered output, thereby producing a content-controlled, filtered output, wherein the filtered output comprises a distinct primary fluid and a distinct secondary fluid, and the content ratio is the ratio of the primary fluid to the secondary fluid, and
iv. channel the content-controlled, filtered output to the particle production core, wherein the content-controlled, filtered output is provided to the particle production core as the conditioning fluid to be used in quenching the reactive particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the particle production core comprises:
a particle production reactor configured to receive the precursor material and the working gas, to energize the working gas to form a plasma, and to apply the plasma to the precursor material, thereby producing the reactive particle-gas mixture; and
a quench chamber fluidly coupled to the particle production reactor and configured to receive the reactive particle-gas mixture from the particle production reactor, to receive the content-controlled, filtered output from the recirculation system as the conditioning fluid, and to mix the received conditioning fluid with the reactive particle-gas mixture, thereby producing the cooled particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid recirculation system is further configured to control the temperature of the filtered output prior to modulation of the content ratio.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid recirculation system is further configured to:
sense the ratio between the primary fluid and the secondary fluid; and
modulate the content ratio of the filtered output by adjusting the amount of either the primary fluid or the secondary fluid in the content-controlled, filtered output based on the sensed ratio.

### Claim 5

A particle production system, comprising:
a particle production reactor configured to produce a reactive particle-gas mixture from a precursor material and a working gas;
a quench chamber with a fluid inlet, a reactive mixture inlet fluidly coupled to the particle production reactor, and a cooled mixture outlet, wherein quench chamber is configured to receive a conditioning fluid at the fluid inlet, to receive the reactive particle-gas mixture mix fluid from the particle production reactor at the reactive mixture inlet, and to mix the conditioning fluid with the reactive particle-gas mixture to produce a cooled particle-gas mixture, the cooled particle-gas mixture comprising a plurality of precursor material particles and an output fluid, the output fluid including the conditioning fluid;
a filter element fluidly coupled to the cooled mixture outlet and configured to receive and filter the output fluid from the quench chamber to produce a filtered output;
a temperature control module fluidly coupled to the filter element and configured to control the temperature of the filtered output to produce a temperature-controlled, filtered output;
a content ratio control module fluidly coupled to the temperature control module and configured to modulate a content ratio of the temperature-controlled, filtered output, thereby producing a content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output, wherein the temperature-controlled, filtered output comprises a distinct primary fluid and a distinct secondary fluid, and the content ratio is the ratio of the primary fluid to the secondary fluid; and
a channeling element fluidly coupling the content ratio control module to the fluid inlet of the quench chamber, and configured to supply the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output to the fluid inlet of the quench chamber, wherein the content-controlled, filtered output is provided to the quench chamber as the conditioning fluid to be used in quenching the reactive particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the particle production reactor is configured to energize the working gas to form a plasma, and to apply the plasma to the precursor material, thereby producing the reactive particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, further comprising a suction generator configured to generate a suction force at the cooled mixture outlet of the quench chamber to draw the output fluid from the quench chamber.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the filter element is configured to remove the plurality of precursor material particles from the output fluid to produce the filtered output.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the filter element comprises a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, further comprising a pressure relief module fluidly coupled between the filter element and the temperature control module, wherein the pressure relief module is configured to reduce the pressure of the filtered output if the pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the temperature control module comprises a heat exchanger.

### Claim 12 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the content ratio control module comprises:
a sensor configured to sense the content ratio of the temperature-controlled, filtered output, and to produce a signal representing the sensed content ratio; and
a micro-controller communicatively connected to the sensor and configured to receive the signal from the sensor and modulate the content ratio of the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output that is to be supplied to the fluid inlet of the quench chamber based on the received signal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the content ratio control module further comprises a buffer reservoir fluidly coupled to the temperature control module and to the sensor, wherein the buffer reservoir is configured to receive the temperature-controlled, filtered output from the temperature control module and to temporarily store the temperature-controlled, filtered output before the content ratio of the temperature-controlled, filtered output is modulated.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the content ratio control module further comprises a fluid relief valve fluidly coupled between the buffer reservoir and the ambient atmosphere, wherein the fluid relief valve is configured to vent the secondary fluid from the buffer reservoir to the ambient atmosphere.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the content ratio control module further comprises:
a secondary fluid supply reservoir storing a supply of the secondary fluid; and
a secondary fluid supply valve communicatively connected to the micro-controller and configured to selectively add a portion of the secondary fluid from the secondary fluid supply reservoir into the temperature-controlled, filtered output in response to a signal from the micro-controller, thereby producing the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the content ratio control module further comprises:
a primary fluid supply reservoir storing a supply of the primary fluid; and
a primary fluid supply valve communicatively connected to the micro-controller and configured to selectively add a portion of the primary fluid from the primary fluid supply reservoir into the temperature-controlled, filtered output in response to a signal from the micro-controller, thereby producing the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output.

### Claim 17

A method of recirculating a fluid in a particle production system, the method comprising:
a particle production core producing a reactive particle-gas mixture from a precursor material and a working gas;
the particle production core quenching the reactive particle-gas mixture using a conditioning fluid, thereby producing a cooled particle-gas mixture, the cooled particle-gas mixture comprising a plurality of precursor material particles and an output fluid, the output fluid including the conditioning fluid;
a fluid recirculation system receiving the cooled particle-gas mixture from the particle production core;
the fluid recirculation system removing the plurality of precursor material particles from the cooled particle-gas mixture, thereby producing a filtered output including the output fluid;
the fluid recirculation system modulating a content ratio of the filtered output, thereby producing a content-controlled, filtered output, wherein the filtered output comprises a distinct primary fluid and a distinct secondary fluid, and the content ratio is the ratio of the primary fluid to the secondary fluid; and
the fluid recirculation system channeling the content-controlled, filtered output to the particle production core, wherein the content-controlled, filtered output is provided to the particle production core as the conditioning fluid to be used in quenching the reactive particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the particle production core comprises:
a particle production reactor configured to receive the precursor material and the working gas, to energize the working gas to form a plasma, and to apply the plasma to the precursor material, thereby producing the reactive particle-gas mixture; and
a quench chamber fluidly coupled to the particle production reactor and configured to receive the reactive particle-gas mixture from the particle production reactor, to receive the content-controlled, filtered output from the recirculation system as the conditioning fluid, and to mix the received conditioning fluid with the reactive particle-gas mixture, thereby producing the cooled particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of the fluid recirculation system controlling the temperature of the filtered output prior to modulation of the content ratio.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:
the fluid recirculation system sensing the ratio between the primary fluid and the secondary fluid; and
the fluid recirculation system modulating the content ratio of the filtered output by adjusting the amount of either the primary fluid or the secondary fluid in the content-controlled, filtered output based on the sensed ratio.

### Claim 21

A method of recirculating a fluid in a particle production system, the method comprising:
a particle production reactor producing a reactive particle-gas mixture from a precursor material and a working gas;
a quench chamber receiving a conditioning fluid at a fluid inlet and receiving the reactive particle-gas mixture mix fluid from the particle production reactor at a reactive mixture inlet;
the quench chamber mixing the conditioning fluid with the reactive particle-gas mixture, thereby producing a cooled particle-gas mixture, the cooled particle-gas mixture comprising a plurality of precursor material particles and an output fluid, the output fluid including the conditioning fluid;
a filter element receiving and filtering the output fluid from the quench chamber, thereby producing a filtered output;
a temperature control module receiving and controlling the temperature of the filtered output, thereby producing a temperature-controlled, filtered output;
a content ratio control module receiving and modulating a content ratio of the temperature-controlled, filtered output, thereby producing a content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output, wherein the temperature-controlled, filtered output comprises a distinct primary fluid and a distinct secondary fluid, and the content ratio is the ratio of the primary fluid to the secondary fluid; and
a channeling element supplying the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output to the fluid inlet of the quench chamber, wherein the content-controlled, filtered output is provided to the quench chamber as the conditioning fluid to be used in quenching the reactive particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the step of producing a reactive particle-gas mixture comprises:
the particle production reactor energizing the working gas to form a plasma; and
the particle production reactor applying the plasma to the precursor material, thereby producing the reactive particle-gas mixture.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of a suction generator generating a suction force at the cooled mixture outlet of the quench chamber to draw the output fluid from the quench chamber.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the filter element removes the plurality of precursor material particles from the output fluid to produce the filtered output.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, wherein the filter element comprises a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.

### Claim 26 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of a pressure relief module reducing the pressure of the filtered output if the pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold.

### Claim 27 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the temperature control module comprises a heat exchanger.

### Claim 28 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the step of the content ratio control module modulating the content ratio comprises:
a sensor sensing the content ratio of the temperature-controlled, filtered output;
a sensor producing a signal representing the sensed content ratio;
a micro-controller receiving the signal from the sensor; and
the micro-controller modulating the content ratio of the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output that is to be supplied to the fluid inlet of the quench chamber based on the received signal.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:
a buffer reservoir receiving the temperature-controlled, filtered output from the temperature control module; and
the buffer reservoir temporarily storing the temperature-controlled, filtered output before the content ratio of the temperature-controlled, filtered output is modulated.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, wherein the step of the content ratio control module modulating the content ratio further comprises the step of a fluid relief valve venting the secondary fluid from the buffer reservoir to the ambient atmosphere.

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, wherein the step of the content ratio control module modulating the content ratio further comprises the steps of:
a secondary fluid supply reservoir storing a supply of the secondary fluid; and
the secondary fluid supply valve selectively adding a portion of the secondary fluid from the secondary fluid supply reservoir into the temperature-controlled, filtered output in response to a signal from the micro-controller, thereby producing the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31, wherein the step of the content ratio control module modulating the content ratio further comprises the steps of:
a primary fluid supply reservoir storing a supply of the primary fluid; and
the primary fluid supply valve selectively adding a portion of the primary fluid from the primary fluid supply reservoir into the temperature-controlled, filtered output in response to a signal from the micro-controller, thereby producing the content-controlled, temperature-controlled, filtered output.