A method and system for separating radioactive waste containing volatiles, into light ions and heavy ions, includes a loader/transporter for transferring the waste into a high vacuum environment in the chamber of a plasma processor. During this transfer, gases of the volatiles are released from the waste, collected in a holding tank, and subsequently ionized in the chamber. As the volatiles are ionized, the ions are directed by a magnetic field into contact with the waste to vaporize the waste. The waste vapors are then ionized in the plasma processor chamber to create a multi-species plasma which includes electrons, light ions and heavy ions. Within the chamber, the density of the multi-species plasma is established to be above its collision density in order to establish a substantially uniform velocity for all ions in the plasma. A nozzle accelerates the multi-species plasma to generate a fluid stream which is directed from the chamber toward an inertial separator. A magnetic field in the inertial separator effectively blocks electrons in the stream from entering the separator. On the other hand, the inertia of the various ions in the stream carry them into the separator where they are segregated into light ions and heavy ions according to their atomic weights. After segregation, the heavy ions are vitrified for subsequent disposal.

This invention provides methods and apparatus for continuously and efficiently separating the elements in a complex substance such as radioactive waste with a large volume plasma processor. One principal methods utilizes plasma confinement by toroidal magnetic fields with a poloidal divertor magnetic field and converts the plasma from a process plasma to a product plasma at a rapid rate permitting injection of a series of pellets, droplets or streams while the toroidal current in the plasma is maintained. A second principle method involves reducing the radiation losses in the separation process by eliminating the toroidal section and directly converting the feedstock material to a product plasma in an elongated evacuated container surrounded by magnetic field generating coils which produce magnetic fields that are parallel to the long axis of the evacuated container,The apparatus is a large volume plasma processor with multiple containment vessels. The invention provides for the characterization of waste material, and for its separation all within one self contained vacuum environment. Other applications include remediation of chemical toxic wastes and chemical and germ warfare weapons.

A device for separating high-mass ions (having cyclotron frequency .OMEGA..sub.h) from low-mass ions (having cyclotron frequency .OMEGA..sub.l) in a plasma includes a chamber. Coils are provided to generate a substantially uniform magnetic field in the chamber. An antenna is provided to launch a left-hand elliptically polarized electromagnetic wave into the chamber along the stationary magnetic field that is evanescent in the multi-species plasma. Importantly, the E vector of the elliptically polarized electromagnetic wave rotates at a frequency, .omega., where .OMEGA..sub.h <.omega.<.OMEGA..sub.l. Ponderomotive forces are generated by the electromagnetic wave that cause the low-mass ions to move toward the antenna while causing the high-mass ions to move away from the antenna.

A cusp filter for altering a multi-species plasma to separate ions of different masses (M.sub.1 and M.sub.2) includes first and second axi-symmetric magnetic fields which are coaxial, have the same magnitude (B), and are oriented back-to-back to establish a null cusp. The null cusp is thus oriented perpendicular to the axis between the magnetic fields. An injector is provided for directing the plasma ions along the axis toward the null cusp to divert the ions (M.sub.1) away from the axis and prevent them from crossing the null cusp, while allowing the ions (M.sub.2) to cross the null cusp and proceed along the axis through the filter. In one embodiment, a cut-off mass, M.sub.c, is determined such that M.sub.1 <M.sub.c <M.sub.2 with M.sub.c =e.sup.2 B.sup.2 r.sup.2 /2W where "e" is the ion charge, "r" is the radial distance of the ion from the axis, and W is its kinetic energy. In another embodiment, ions of selected mass are heated by cyclotron resonance to raise their energies above that of other ions in order to assure their passage through the null cusp. The selected ions then pass through the null cusp for separation from the other ions.

A linear plasma mass filter includes a container which is shaped as a rectangular prism. Magnetic coils encircle the container for generating a uniform magnetic field (B) in the container, and electrodes are mounted on the container for generating an electric field (E) in the container. Specifically, the electric field is rectilinear in that all of the electric field lines are parallel to each other. Further, the electric field is oriented perpendicular to the magnetic field to create crossed electric and magnetic fields (E.times.B). A plasma source is provided for injecting a multi-species plasma into the container which includes relatively low mass particles (M.sub.1), and relatively high mass particles (M.sub.2). Both M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 are responsive to the magnetic field with respective cyclotron orbits of a first diameter (D.sub.1) and a second diameter (D.sub.2). A first collector is positioned in the container at a projected distance d.sub.1 from the plasma source for collecting the relatively light mass particles (M.sub.1) and a second collector is positioned in the container at a projected distance d.sub.2 from said plasma source for collecting the relatively high mass particles (M.sub.2). For the present invention: d.sub.1 <D.sub.1 <d.sub.2 <D.sub.2.