Numerical analysis of thermal plasma scrubber for CF4 decomposition

CF₄ gas emitted in the semiconductor and display manufacturing process is a very harmful greenhouse gas. It must be removed or converted safely due to its extreme toxicity. Although a CF₄ decomposition system using a thermal plasma scrubber was commercialized, its removal efficiency is limited. In this work, a numerical analysis of CF₄ decomposition in the thermal plasma scrubber was carried out in order to propose an efficient decomposition environment. The decomposition and recombination temperatures of CF₄ were analyzed using thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. The chemical reaction of CF₄ decomposition into carbon and fluorine gas was considered in this numerical analysis. The injection position and angle of the CF₄ were controlled in order to enhance the decomposition rate. The vertical injection of CF₄ near the torch exit improved the mixing of the CF₄ with the thermal plasma flame. In addition, it was confirmed that the high temperature region expanded due to a vortex generated by strong turbulence in the bottleneck-shaped reactor. As a result, it is revealed that the CF₄ injection location and the reactor configuration are the most important factors in improving the decomposition rate.