The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 03, 1997
Filed:
Jul. 10, 1996
Salvador L Camacho, Raleigh, NC (US);
Plasma Technology Corporation, Durham, NC (US);
Abstract
Municipal or other solid waste is delivered in loose form to a processing facility where it is compacted into a supply chute adjacent the upper portion of a reactor. The compaction serves to remove most of the air and some of the water from the waste as well as to seal the reactor against air infiltration. The supply chute is equipped with a number of pusher units which are capable of pushing a portion of the compacted waste in the form of a block into the reactor. The blocks of compacted waste are deposited in the top of the reactor in response to a signal related to the height of waste in the reactor. A pivotally and extendible mounted plasma arc torch is employed as a heat source to pyrolyze organic waste components to generate desired by-product gases. Air and steam are added in controlled quantities to improve the operational efficiency and the by-product gas composition. Residual materials which do not pyrolyze are melted and cooled into a substantially inert vitrified mass.