The invention provides a method and apparatus for producing nitrogen trifluoride.
The invention involves passing a working fluid through a heat engine cycle and
using the mechanical energy generated by the working fluid to produce sufficient
mixing intensity within a nitrogen trifluoride reactor. The method utilizes a working
fluid vapor jet, such as a hydrogen fluoride vapor jet, to impart sufficient energy
to the mixing zone of a reactor in order to disperse gaseous fluorine within a
liquid ammonium acid fluoride melt. A gaseous reaction product stream is removed
from the reactor, the reaction product stream comprising nitrogen trifluoride and
a working fluid vapor. The working fluid is then separated from the nitrogen trifluoride
and recycled for reuse in the process, thereby completing a heat engine cycle.
