Multicomponent fluid feed apparatus with preheater and mixer for a high temperature chemical reactor

In combination with a high temperature chemical reactor for conversion of UF.sub.6 to uranium oxide solids and HF including a reaction chamber, at least one feed port for receiving fluids to be reacted therein, a heating means in relationship to said reaction chamber for heating incoming fluids, and an exit port for removing reaction products from said reaction chamber, a multicomponent fluid feed apparatus, to the at least one feed port, for preheating and mixing at least two fluid streams being injected into said high temperature chemical reactor, said multicomponent fluid apparatus comprising:

• an inner tubular flow member having first and second ends, said first end thereof disposed for receiving one of said at least two fluid streams to flow therethrough;
• at least one outer tubular flow member having first and second ends concentrically disposed about and spaced from said inner tubular flow member to form at least one fluid stream flow annulus about said inner tubular member for separately receiving another one of said at least two fluid streams into said annulus for flow therethrough;
• an orifice mixing plate sealably connected to said at least one outer tubular flow member at said second end thereof and having an opening therein in fluid communication with said second ends of said inner and said at least one outer tubular flow member, said opening being sufficiently tapered inwardly toward the concentric axis of said inner and outer tubular flow members to provide turbulent mixing of said fluid streams passing therethrough from the second ends of said inner and outer tubular flow members into said chemical reactor;
• a heating means disposed about said at least one outer tubular member for heating all of said fluid streams flowing through said inner and outer tubular members to a selected temperature approximating the reaction temperature of the fluid streams in the high temperature reactor prior to mixing and injecting into said chemical reactor.