Nitrogen fixation by electric arc and catalyst

A nitrogen fixation system comprising:

• (1) low frequency, high voltage electric arc production means in the form of four electrodes with electrically insulating, coaxial sleeves, said electrodes being in sets of two, each set being electrically connected to a low frequency, high voltage alternating current transformer, and being capable of supporting an electric arc across its two electrodes in such a manner that the arc from one electrode set is approximately perpendicular to the path of the other arc, both arcs being in an approximately horizontal plane with alternating current to one arc being at a ninety degree phase difference with the current to the other, both arcs being capable of raising nitrogen and oxygen to plasma state temperatures and of placing the gases into chemically excited states, and
• (2) an electric arc chamber for contacting a catalyst with arc plasma gases, said chamber being formed by catalyst particles driven by reactant gas and plasma pressure as said pressure causes the particles to whirl in a vortex and move outward from a cavity at the center of a catalyst bed, and
• (3) product gas shielding means to shield the gas product in the form of nitric oxi oxide from the destructive effects of ultraviolet light emissions from the electric arcs, said emissions being otherwise capable of photodisassociating nitric oxide into nitrogen and oxygen, said shielding means being in the form of said catalyst particles partially compacted by the weight of a vertical column of the catalyst bed above the arc chamber as said weight presses down on particles about said chamber to more densely aggregate the particles and to thereby impede the passage of ultraviolet light from the arcs to the product gas diffusing outward through the particles, and
• (4) reactant gas transport means in the form of cylindrical channels within said electrode sleeves, said channels being coaxial between the electrode and the inner wall of each sleeve, and
• (5) heat transfer means in the form of gas-driven particle turbulence whereby catalyst particles are moved by the streams of reactant gases and plasma heat to and from the arc zone and the chamber walls, said particles being heated by contact with the arc zone and being cooled by proximity to the catalyst chamber walls, and
• (6) reactant gas circulation means capable of producing gas pressure for impelling reactant and product gases through said arc zone and through said catalyst chamber and capable of producing such particle displacement as to form said arc chamber and to circulate catalyst particles to and from the arc zone and the catalyst chamber walls.