Electromagnetic energy-initiated plasma reactor systems and methods

A method of processing a reaction product generated from a plasma-based reactive process, comprising:

• supplying a first electromagnetic energy, from a first energy source, to a flowing first gaseous feed material such that at least a fraction of the flowing first gaseous feed material is excited by the supplied first electromagnetic energy into a first plasma within a first plasma zone, and such that at least a fraction of the flowing first gaseous feed material is converted to a first plasma zone-conditioned product while flowing through the first plasma and the first plasma zone-conditioned product is flowed to a downstream reaction zone, wherein the flowing of the first plasma zone-conditioned product is effected through a fluid passage that effects fluid communication between the first plasma zone and the downstream reaction zone;
• and
• flowing a second gaseous material through a fluid passage defined by a fluid passage-defining conduit, to a combination zone, for effecting combination of the second gaseous material flow with the first plasma zone-conditioned product flow;
• wherein, upstream of the combination zone, at an upstream fluid passage portion of the fluid passage-defining conduit, the second fluid material flow is characterized by a pressure of PSF1;
• wherein, upstream of the combination zone, the first plasma zone-conditioned product flow, with which the flowing second fluid material is combined, is characterized by a pressure PFRP, wherein the pressure PSF1 of the second fluid material flow is greater than the pressure PFRP of the first plasma zone-conditioned product flow;
• effecting a reduction in pressure of the second gaseous material flow from PSF1, such that the second gaseous material flow becomes disposed at the pressure PSF2 at an intermediate downstream fluid passage portion of the fluid passage-defining conduit, wherein the pressure PSF2 is less than PFRP, wherein the reduction is effected by conducting the second gaseous material flow from the upstream fluid passage portion to the intermediate downstream fluid passage portion, wherein the intermediate downstream fluid passage portion is characterized by a smaller cross-sectional area relative to the cross-sectional area of the upstream fluid passage portion, such that static pressure energy of the second gaseous material flow is converted to kinetic energy, and the pressure of the second gaseous material flow is reduced from PSF1 to PSF2, and such that the second gaseous material flow, characterized by the pressure PSF2 and disposed at the intermediate downstream fluid passage portion, is disposed in fluid communication with the first plasma zone-conditioned product flow through a port that extends through the fluid passage-defining conduit and into the intermediate downstream fluid passage portion, such that the first plasma zone-conditioned product flow is induced to flow into the intermediate downstream fluid passage portion and combine with the flowing second gaseous material within the combination zone, in response to the differential between the pressure PFRP of the first plasma zone-conditioned product flow and the pressure PSF2 of the second gaseous material flow;
• and
• combining the second gaseous material flow with the first plasma zone-conditioned product, within the combination zone, to generate a combined fluid material, in response to inducement to flow.

A method of processing a reaction product generated from a plasma-based reactive process, comprising:

• supplying a first electromagnetic energy, from a first energy source, to a flowing gaseous material such that at least a fraction of the flowing gaseous material is excited by the supplied first electromagnetic energy into a first plasma within an upstream plasma zone, and such that at least a fraction of the flowing gaseous material is converted to a first plasma zone-conditioned product while flowing through the first plasma and the first plasma zone-conditioned product is flowed to a downstream plasma zone, and
• supplying a second electromagnetic energy, from a second energy source, to the flowing first plasma zone-conditioned product such that at least a fraction of the flowing first plasma zone-conditioned product is excited by the supplied second electromagnetic energy into a second plasma within a downstream plasma zone, and such that at least a fraction of the flowing first reaction material is converted to a second reaction product while flowing through the second plasma;
• wherein the flowing of the first plasma zone-conditioned product is effected through a fluid passage that effects fluid communication between the upstream plasma zone and the downstream plasma zone, wherein a geometry of the fluid passage at least upstream of the downstream plasma zone inhibits, or substantially inhibits, the supplied first electromagnetic energy from propagating from the upstream plasma zone to the downstream plasma zone.