FRANKA-Stein: design, operation and industrial application

FRANKA-Stein is a semi-industrial prototype plant for the selective decomposition of up to 1 t/h of pre-broken minerals like concrete, rocks or the like. Its main components are: (i) a powerful high voltage pulse generator that delivers a 300 kV, 15 kA pulse with a 12 Hz repetition rate; (ii) a water filled reaction chamber. In this reaction chamber the materials to be treated are exposed for a well defined time interval to the HV discharges; (iii) a transport system that continuously feeds the materials to be treated into and out of the reaction chamber; and (iv) additional components for the separation of crushed materials from water, material classification and if re-required for water cleaning and reprocessing. In this contribution, a description of the main components is given and the operation experience achieved so far is summarized. Furthermore the results from the treatment of concrete lumps are outlined and discussed with respect to future industrial applications.