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Operating characteristics and energy distribution in transferred plasma arc systems

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Abstract

A specially designed plasma chamber was constructed to study the operating characteristics of a dc plasma-transferred arc of argon, struck between a fluid convective cathode and a water-cooled anode. The arc voltage increased markedly with arc length and with an increase in the inlet velocity of the argon flow past the cathode tip, and much less with an increase in current. Radiation from the plasma column to the chamber walls and transfer of energy to the anode were the two principal modes of transfer of the arc energy. The former was dominant in the case of long arcs and at high inlet argon velocities. At the anode, the major contribution was from electron transfer, which occurred on a very small area of the anode (∼5 mm in diameter). Convective heat transfer from the plasma was somewhat less. In all cases, the arc energy contributions to cathode cooling and to the exit gas enthalpy were small. From total heat flux and radiative heat transfer measurements, it was estimated that the plasma temperature just above the anode was in the range 10,000–12,000 K. Preliminary experiments with an anode consisting of molten copper showed that the arc root was no longer fixed but moved around continuously. The arc was othwewise quite stable, and its operating characteristics differed little from those reported for solid anodes, in spite of the greater extent of metal vaporization.

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Abbreviations

A :

Anode heat transfer area

A r :

Radiating surface area

D NZ :

Nozzle diameter

D C :

Diameter of plasma stream zone

D E :

Diameter of electron zone

e :

Electronic charge

I :

Are current

k :

Boltzmann's constant

l :

Arc length

\(\dot m\) :

Volumetric flow rate

P :

Pressure or power

P A :

Arc power transferred to the anode

P EXIT :

Arc power transferred to the leaving gas

P R :

Arc power transferred to cathode nozzle

P sg :

Stagnation pressure

P st :

Static pressure

P w :

Arc power transferred to walls and top of reactor by radiation and convection

Q conv :

Energy transfer by convection from plasma to anode surface; also power equivalent

Q elec :

Energy transfer by electrons to anode surface; also power equivalent

Q r :

Energy radiated from the plasma arc to the reactor walls

Q ra :

Energy radiated from the plasma to anode surface; also power equivalent

q THF :

Total heat flux flowing to a total heat flux sensor

T :

Temperature

T 11,T 12,T 13,T 21,T 31 :

Gas temperature inside the chamber

T s1,T s2,T s3 :

Anode surface temperature

T a :

Arc bulk temperature

T e :

Electron temperature

T w :

Wall temperature

U s :

Plasma jet velocity near the stagnation point

V :

Arc voltage

V a :

Anode fall voltage

V A :

Equivalent voltage related toP A=P A/I

V elec :

Equivalent voltage related toQ elec=Q elec/I

V k :

Equivalent voltage drop at the anode due to Thomson effect, Eq. (3)

V φ :

Work function, in volts

V ra :

Equivalent voltage related toQ ra=Q ra/I

α :

Absorptivity

ɛ :

Emissivity

ρ :

Gas density

σ :

Electrical conductivity

η :

Fraction of energy transferred to each component over the total arc power

a:

Bulk

A:

Anode

k:

Kinetic

K:

Cathode

r:

Radiation

s:

Plasma Streaming

T:

Total

w:

Wall

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    H. K. Choi & W. H. Gauvin

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  1. H. K. Choi
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Choi, H.K., Gauvin, W.H. Operating characteristics and energy distribution in transferred plasma arc systems. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 2, 361–386 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00567563

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