Providing wear resistance in a reactor configured to facilitate chemical reactions and/or comminution of solid feed materials using shockwaves created in a supersonic gaseous vortex

A reactor configured to facilitate chemical reactions, and/or comminution therein using shockwaves created in a supersonic gaseous vortex, the reactor being further configured to resist wear caused by the chemical reactions, and/or comminution, the reactor comprising:

• a rigid chamber having a substantially circular cross-section centered on a longitudinal axis that is normal to the cross-section;
• a first gas inlet configured to introduce a high-velocity stream of gas into the chamber, the first gas inlet being disposed and arranged so as to effectuate a vortex of the stream of gas circulating within the chamber, the vortex rotating at a supersonic speed about the longitudinal axis of the chamber;
• a material inlet configured to introduce a material to be processed into the chamber, the material inlet being disposed proximal to the first gas inlet, the material being processed within the chamber by nonabrasive mechanisms facilitated by shockwaves within the chamber;
• an outlet configured to emit the gas and processed material from the chamber;
• and
• a first replaceable wear part configured to protect an inner surface of the chamber, the first replaceable wear part corresponding to the first gas inlet such that the first replaceable wear part being disposed at the first portion of the inner surface of the chamber, wherein a first end of the first wear part is adapted to contact processed material particles at an first portion of the inner surface of the chamber;
• and, wherein
• processing of the material within the chamber causes a wear impact to the first portion of the inner surface of the chamber due to the stream of gas introduced by the first gas inlet