Plasma furnace disposal of hazardous wastes

An apparatus for plasma disposal of hazardous waste, comprising:

• containment chamber means for volatilizing at sub-atmospheric pressure hazardous waste material produce a pre-processed gas including hazardous waste reactants;
• means for completely dissociating the hazardous waste reactants without circumvention in a plasma-forming region containing sufficient inductive energy such that said hazardous waste reactants transit through the plasma-forming region, are inductively coupled into a plasma having a plasma depth, and are dissociated;
• means for recombining in a recombination region said dissociated hazardous waste reactant means exiting the plasma-forming region into recombination products, and
• means for removing recombination products from said recombination region.

A method for disposal of a hazardous waste, comprising:

• volatilizing at sub-atmospheric pressure hazardous waste material in a containment chamber to produce a pre-processed gas including hazardous waste reactants;
• dissociating completely the hazardous waste reactants from the containment chamber in a plasma-forming region containing sufficient inductive energy such that said hazardous waste reactants transit without circumvention through the plasma-forming region, are inductively coupled into a plasma having a plasma depth, and are completely dissociated;
• recombining in a recombination region dissociated hazardous waste reactants exiting the plasma-forming region into recombination products, and
• removing recombination products from said recombination region.

An rf power supply apparatus, comprising:

• a high-frequency power oscillator configured to output power at a fundamental frequency, said high frequency power oscillator comprising,
• at least one switching element having a control terminal configured to switch current conduction between current conduction terminals,
• a reactive control network connected to said control terminal and configured to control instantaneous voltages on the control terminal, and
• at least one parasitic power dissipation mechanism configured to dissipate energy in parasitic frequencies;
• and
• a tank circuit encircling the plasma chamber, connected to the high-frequency power oscillator, and configured to resonate at the fundamental frequency.

An apparatus for plasma processing of gaseous materials, comprising:

• a gas source configured to deliver at least one process gas to the plasma processing apparatus;
• a plasma chamber coupled to the gas source, including a plasma-forming region in which a plasma-forming magnetic field is produced, said at least one process gas passing without circumvention through the plasma-forming region;
• an rf power supply including an rf applicator configured to produce a plasma-forming magnetic field of sufficient inductive energy into said plasma-forming region such that said at least one process gas during transit through the plasma-forming region is inductively coupled into a plasma and is completely reacted;
• and
• a vacuum pump connected to the chamber outlet and configured to maintain a process pressure in the plasma chamber.