Effect of Anode Arc Root Position on the Behavior of the DC Non-transferred Plasma Jet at Field Free Region

A special bi-anode plasma torch that can change the anode arc root position without changing working gas flow rate has been developed to investigate the effect of anode arc root position on the behavior of the plasma jet. It has two nozzle-shaped anodes at different axial distances from the cathode tip. The arc root can be formed at anodes either close to the cathode tip (anode I) or far away from it (anode II) to obtain different attachment positions and arc voltages. The characteristics of pure argon plasma jets operated in different anode modes were measured in the field free region by using an emalpy probe, and the thermal efficiency of the torch was determined by measuring the temperature differences between cooling water flowing in and out of the torch. The results show that compared with the normal arc operated in anode I mode, the elongated arc operated in anode II mode significantly reduced the plasma energy loss inside the torch, resulting in a higher temperature and a higher velocity of the plasma jet in the field free region.     

A novel approach for introducing particulate matter into thermal plasmas: The triple-cathode arc

A coalesced high-intensity dc discharge is maintained between three cathodes and a single anode, stabilized by using resistors on each cathode leg. Jets of plasma gas are produced from either the cathode area or the anode area of the device. Cathode jets are generated by the self-induced pumping at the cathode tips and augmented by central gas injection. Arc voltage-current characteristics show classical convection-stabilized arc behavior. Anode heat transfer rates may be substantially increased by central gas injection toward the anode. Temperature fields in the coalesced, axially symmetric portion of the arc are determined spectrometrically and compared to those of a classical single-cathode free-burning arc.     

Effect of Cathode Nozzle Geometry and Process Parameters on the Energy Distribution for an Argon Transferred Arc

The influence of two nozzle geometries and three process parameters (arc current, arc length and plasma sheath gas flow rate) on the energy distribution for an argon transferred arc is investigated. Measurements are reported for a straight bore cylindrical and for a convergent nozzle, with arc currents of 100 A and 200 A and electrode gaps of 10 mm and 20 mm. These correspond to typical operating parameters generally used in plasma transferred arc cutting and welding operations. The experimental set up consisted of three principal components: the cathode-torch assembly, the external, water-cooled anode, and the reactor chamber. For each set of measurements the power delivered to each system component was measured through calorimetric means, as function of the arc’s operating conditions. The results obtained from this study show that the shape of the cathode torch nozzle has an important influence on arc behaviour and on the energy distribution between the different system components. A convergent nozzle results in higher arc voltages, and consequently, in higher powers being generated in the discharge for the same applied arc current, when compared to the case of a straight bore nozzle. This effect is attributed to the fluidynamic constriction of the arc root attachment, and the consequential increase in the arc voltage and thus, in the Joule heating. The experimental data so obtained is compared with the predictions of a numerical model for the electric arc, based on the solution of the Navier–Stokes and Maxwell equations, using the commercial code FLUENT©. The original code was enhanced with dedicated subroutines to account for the strong temperature dependence of the thermodynamic and transport properties under plasma conditions. The computational domain includes the heat conduction within the solid electrodes and the arc-electrode interactions, in order to be able to calculate the heat distribution in the overall system. The level of agreement achieved between the experimental data and the model predictions confirms the suitability of the proposed, “relatively simple” model as a tool to use for the design and optimization of transferred arc processes and related devices. This conclusion was further supported by spectroscopic measurements of the temperature profiles present in the arc column and image analysis of the intensity distribution within the arc, under the same operating conditions.     

Influence of Gas Entry Point on Plasma Chemistry,Ion Energy and Deposited Alumina Thin Films in Filtered Cathodic Arc

The effect of gas entry point on the plasma chemistry, ion energy distributions and resulting alumina thin film growth have been investigated for a d.c. cathodic arc with an aluminum cathode operated in an oxygen/argon atmosphere. Ions of aluminum, oxygen and argon, as well as ions originating from the residual gas are investigated, and measurements for gas entry at both the cathode and close to the substrate are compared. The latter was shown to result in higher ion flux, lower levels of ionised residual gas, and lower ion energies, as compared to gas inlet at the cathode. These plasma conditions that apply when gas entry at the substrate is used result in a higher film deposition rate, less residual gas incorporation, and more stoichiometric alumina films. The results show that the choice of gas entry point is a crucial parameter in thin film growth using reactive PVD processes such as reactive cathodic arc deposition.     

Energy Fluctuations in a Direct Current Plasma Torch with Inter-Electrode Inserts Operated at Reduced Pressure

Direct current (dc) plasma torch with inter-electrode inserts has the merits of fixed arc length, relative high enthalpy and may show advantages in future plasma processes where stability and controllability are must-have. Energy fluctuations in the plasma may result from power supply ripple, arc length variation, and/or acoustic oscillation. Using an improved power supply with a flat waveform, the characteristics of an argon plasma energy instabilities under reduced pressure were studied by means of simultaneously monitoring the arc voltage and arc current spectrum. Dependence of the arc fluctuation behavior on the plasma generating parameters, such as the current intensity, the plasma gas flow rates and the vacuum chamber pressure were investigated and discussed. Results show that the plasma torch has a typical U-shaped voltage-ampere characteristic (VAC). The correlation between the VAC and the probability of energy distributions was studied. Through pressure measurements at the cathode cavity and the vacuum chamber, the existence of sonic flow in the inter-electrode insert channel was confirmed.     

Numerical Study of a Free-Burning Argon Arc with Anode Melting

Numerical modeling of free burning arcs and their electrodes is useful for clarifying the heat transfer phenomena in the welding process and to elucidate those effects which determine the weld penetration. This paper presents predictions for a stationary welding process by the free-burning argon arc. The whole region of the welding process, namely, tungsten cathode, arc plasma and stainless steel anode is treated in a unified numerical model to take into account the close interaction between the arc plasma and the molten anode. The time dependent development of two-dimensional distributions of temperature and velocity, in the whole region of the welding process, are predicted at a current of 150 A. The weld penetration geometry as a function of time is thus predicted. It is shown also that different surface tension properties can change the direction of re-circulatory flow in the molten anode and dramatically vary the weld penetration geometry.     

Synthesis of Al Nanopowders in an Anodic Arc

Nanopowders of metals and metal oxides have been produced using an arc operated between a refractory rod anode and a hollow cathode (J. Haidar in A method and apparatus for production of material vapour, Australian Patent No. 756273, 1999). the arc attachment to the anode is through a small region of molten metal located at the tip of the rod anode. Heat from the arc evaporates the molten metal and the vapour is passed through the arc plasma before condensing into sub-micron particles downstream of the cathode. A precursor metal is continuously fed onto the tip of the anode to maintain the molten metal region and compensate for losses of materials due to evaporation. The particle size of the produced powder depends on the pressure in the arc chamber and for production of nanoparticles in the range below 100 nm we use a pressure of 100 torr. Aluminium has been used as a precursor material, leading to production of aluminium metal nanopowders when the arc is operated in argon and to aluminium oxide nanopowders for operation in air. For operation in air, the products are made of γ-Al₂O₃.     

Numerical Study of a Free-Burning Argon Arc with Copper Contamination from the Anode

The present modeling of a free-burning argon arc accounts for copper vapor contamination from the anode. Simulations are made for an atmospheric arc that has a length of 10 mm and an electric current of 200 amps. Predicted results for two different anode evaporation rates are compared to those from a pure argon arc with no copper vapor contamination. Copper vapor concentration, temperature, electric potential, and current density profiles are presented. Included in this analysis are radiation losses from both the argon and copper by using recently calculated net emission coefficients. It was found that evaporation of copper from the anode results in a cooling of the arc in a region close to the anode, but has an insignificant influence on the arc close to the cathode. Due to the arc flow characteristics most of the copper vapor tends to be confined to the anode region.     

Modeling and experimental study of a transferred arc stabilized with argon and flowing in a controlled-atmosphere chamber filled with argon at atmospheric pressure

For a transferred arc with a flat anode working at atmospheric pressure in an argon atmosphere, the influence of the gas injector design close to the cathode tip has been systematically studied for arc currents below 300 A, gas flowrates between 5 and 60 slm, and anode-cathode distances between 10 and 46 mm. Two types of injector configurations hare been studied: a cylindrical one with its wall parallel to the cathode axis and a conical one with the same cone angle as that of the cathode tip. The arc temperature was measured using flit, absolute intensity of ArI and ArII lines. Beside the roltagc and arc current, the losses at the cathode and at the anode were continuously recorded. An elliptic model was used to calculate the flow velocity, the temperature, and the current density close to the cathode and in the arc column. This model was either laminar or turbulent (K - ), with the empirical constants being functions of the Reynolds nunther of turbulence. A cathode sheath with nonequilibrium conditions was used to obtain accurate cathode boundary conditions. Experiments and modeling hart shown the benefits of using conical injectors which constrict drasfically the plasma_ flow and enhance the gas velocity and the current density, thus increasing the heat flux to the anode. With the cylindrical injector, recirculations close to the cathode lip modify deeply its heating and reduce the plasma jet constriction: velocities and temperatures are lower when the recirculation velocity is higher. This results in lower heat fluxes to the anode compared to the conical injector.     

Comparison of Laminar and Turbulent Thermal Plasma Jet Characteristics—A Modeling Study

Modeling results are presented to compare the characteristics of laminar and turbulent argon thermal plasma jets issuing into ambient air. The combined-diffusion-coefficient method and the turbulence-enhanced combined-diffusion-coefficient method are employed to treat the diffusion of ambient air into the laminar and turbulent argon plasma jects, respectively. It is shown that since only the molecular diffusion mechanism is involved in the laminar plasma jet, the mass flow rate of ambient air entrained into the laminar plasma jet is comparatively small and less dependent on the jet inlet velocity. On the other hand, since turbulent transport mechanism is dominant in the turbulent plasma jet, the entrainment rate of ambient air into the turbulent plasma jet is about one order of magnitude larger and almost directly proportional to the jet inlet velocity. As a result, the characteristics of laminar plasma jets are quite different from those of turbulent plasma jets. The length of the high-temperature region of the laminar plasma jet is much longer and increases notably with increasing jet inlet velocity or inlet temperature, while the length of the high-temperature region of the turbulent plasma jet is short and less influenced by the jet inlet velocity or inlet temperature. The predicted results are reasonably consistent with available experimental observation by using a DC arc plasma torch at arc currents 80–250 A and argon flow rates (1.8–7.0)×10⁻⁴ kg/s.     

Effect of working gases on thermal plasma waste treatment

An electric arc melter used for waste treatment processing is numerically studied. The effects of different plasma working gases are studied by using a laboratory scale test reactor. A two-dimensional finite difference approximation is used to solve the set of governing equations. The Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the combined Maxwell's equation for the electromagnetic fields is used to obtain the temperature and flow fields in the are melter. It is found that the energy efficiency of the air plasma is lower than that of an argon plasma. However, the melted soil volumes are larger using the air plasma than those using the argon plasma. The overall energy efficiency increases cis the gap between the cathode and the soil surface decreases. More uniform gas temperatures are found for the air plasma than that for the argon plasma. Result obtained from the laboratory-scale are melter is used as an input of the energy absorbed into the soil for the USBM arc melter simulation. Results show a maximum temperature of 2195 K at the center of the heat generation and a molten soil exit temperature of 1600 K.     

A triple-flow gas-sheathed d.c. arc for spectrochemical analysis

A d.c. arc source sheathed by three independent gas streams is described. A mixed flow of argon at 7 1 min^-1 and oxygen at 3 1 min^-1 is used to support the arc plasma and isolate it from the surrounding air, while separate streams of argon are used to sheathe the base of the anode and lower part of the cathode counter-electrode. The anode holds about 40 mg of a sample mixture. The source is stable when operated with currents up to 20 A, cyanogen emission is eliminated, and the limits of detection of a wide range of trace elements in soils and rocks are better than with a cathode-layer arc in air.     

Characterization of a twin-torch transferred dc arc

The results of a twin-torch transferred de arc .study are presented. The arc system consists of two torches of opposite polarity, and a coupling zone of plasma jets located between them. The torch configuration increases the system reliability and efficiency during material plasma processing. The results of the study present data for the voltage-current characteristics, general behavior of the twin-torch arc, and spatial distribution of the plasma parameters. The plasma parameters have been measured using optical emission spectroscopy for a 200 A (20 k W) do arc, at atmospheric pressure, with argon and nitrogen introduced as plasma forming gases into the anode and the cathode units, respectively. The measurement technique used has allowed the determination of local electron density and temperature values in an inhomogeneous plasma volume having no axial sysmmetry. The data obtained illustrate the novel features of the twin-torch transfrred do arc for its applications in plasma processing.     

Development of soft plasma ionization (SPI) source for analysis of organic compounds

We present a newly designed soft plasma ionization (SPI) source developed for mass spectrometric study of organic compounds in this study. The SPI cell having a relatively small size consists of a hollow anode and a hollow mesh cathode. The voltage–current characteristic depending on the pressure was investigated, indicating that it has similar characteristics to conventional hollow cathode glow discharges. To investigate the emission characteristics of the SPI source, some molecular band emission spectra (N₂, N₂⁺ and OH⁺) were measured by using argon and helium discharge gases. The SPI source was installed to a commercially used quadrupole mass analyzer for analyzing organic compounds. To demonstrate the SPI source, the mass spectra of some organic compounds (methylene chloride, toluene, benzene, cyclohexane and chloroform) were measured. The organic compounds were ionized with good stability in the plasma, and the fragmentation depended on the applied current. When helium and argon gases were used as the discharge gas, the helium plasma was more suitable for SPI-MS rather than argon because the argon plasma not only suffers from spectral interference but also has lower sensitivity.     

A Sheath Collision Model with Thermionic Electron Emission and the Schottky Correction Factor for Work Function of Wall Material

This paper is a further development of the collisional sheath model at the thermionic cathode for two temperature modeling of thermal arcs that was recently suggested by Pekker and Hussary. In the present work, the Schottky correction factor to the work function of the electrode material is calculated taking into account the friction of ions in the sheath, while in the model of Pekker and Hussary it was calculated neglecting this friction. The model is applied to the cathode spot at the tungsten cathode in argon. It is demonstrated that a virtual cathode can be formed in the atmospheric pressure argon plasma at the cathode surface if the cathode current density is sufficiently small. The heat flux to the thermionic cathode due to charged particles and the heat flux to the plasma due to thermionic electrons are calculated. The obtained results are compared with the model of Pekker and Hussary. The sheath potential drop and the heat fluxes calculated by this model can be used as boundary conditions at the wall for the electric potential and for the energy equations for the electrons and heavy particles (ions and neutrals) in two temperature modeling of thermal plasma.     

Impact of anode evaporation on the anode region of a high-intensity argon arc

Experimental studies of a free-burning, high-intensity argon arc operated at 800 Torr with a solid, molten, or resolidified copper anode demonstrate that the cathode region is not affected by Cu vapor from the anode. Also Cu vapor concentrations in the arc core (beyond 1 mm from the anode surface) are negligible. In contrast, there is a strong effect of the Cu vapor on the anode region of the arc. The arc fringes become electrically conducting due to the presence of Cu vapor, resulting in a flattening of the current density distribution and a corresponding drop of the temperature in the arc core. At the same time, the overall arc voltage shows a slight drop (<1 V). In the case of the resolidified anode, the overall arc voltage increases, which seems to be associated with the distribution of the stagnation flow in front of the anode due to a dip in the center of the anode.     

Modeling of the Subsonic–Supersonic Flow and Heat Transfer in a DC Arc Plasma Torch

Two-dimensional modeling results are presented concerning the subsonic–supersonic flow and heat transfer within a DC plasma torch used for low-pressure (or soft vacuum) plasma spraying. The so-called fictitious anode method is used in the modeling in order to avoid inclusion of the complex three-dimensional effects near the anode arc root and also to avoid the forced heating of all the incoming cold gas stream by the arc. A nonorthogonal boundary-conforming grid, nonstaggered variable arrangement and the all-speed SIMPLE algorithm are employed for the solution of the governing equations, including gas viscous effects, temperature-dependent properties, and compressible effects. Good agreement of the predictions with available results for a few benchmarked compressible flow problems shows that the new version of the FAST-2D program can be employed for the present plasma flow modeling. Temperature, axial velocity, Mach number, and static pressure contours, and streamlines within the DC arc plasma torch are presented to show the flow and heat transfer characteristics. The flow transits gradually from upstream subsonic regime into downstream supersonic regime with the subsonic–supersonic transition within the cylindrical segment of the torch nozzle. Additional numerical tests show that gas viscosity and Lorentz force have only a slight effect on the plasma flow.     

Temperature Distribution in a Pilot Plasma Tundish: Comparison Between Plasma Torch and Graphite Electrode Systems

Arc, bath, and refractory wall temperatures are measured in a pilot transferred-arc plasma furnace by atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) and multiwavelength pyrometry. Argon plasma torch and graphite electrode with nitrogen as plasma gas are both examined and compared using the steel bath as anode. With argon, a two-slope characteristic curve is measured for arc temperature, which ranges from 9000 to 25,000 K. Another trend is observed with nitrogen for temperatures in the range 8000–12,000 K. In this latter case, the bath temperature is very sensitive to arc length: more than 100 K increase results in arc length rise from 50 to 150 mm. Experimental data shows the variation of heat transfer efficiency between the two configurations, which is supported by results about surface emissivity in the spectral domain 1–15 m.     

An Optical Emission Study on Expanding Low-Temperature Cascade Arc Plasmas

The optical emission spectra from expanding low-temperature cascade arc plasmas were studied. The objective of this study was to examine the distinctive features of low-temperature cascade arc plasmas in comparison with a radio frequency (RF) plasma source. The principal results obtained in this study were: (1) in an expanding cascade arc plasma jet, active heavy particles (mainly excited argon or helium neutral species under our operating conditions), rather than electrons, are responsible for the excitation of reactive species when a reactive gas is injected into the plasma jet, (2) the excitation of reactive species was found to be controlled by the electronic energy levels of these excited argon or helium neutrals, (3) changing the operating parameters affected only the emission intensities of excited species, and no effect on the emission nature of plasmas was observed.     

Spectroscopic study of a magnetically rotating arc between opper electrodes in contaminated argon

The effects of N₂ and CO contaminants in atmospheric-pressure argon on an arc rotating between two concentric copper electrodes has been studied using optical spectroscopy of copper lines. The axial temperature of the magnetically driven arc in Ar + %N₂ was determined to be around 10,000 K for arc currents of SO to 200 A. The diffusion process of the copper vapor from the cathode was also studied. A copper density maximum 1 mm from the cathode along the arc column was found in Ar + %N₂. Removal of the contaminated cathode surface layers by the arc when contaminant injection in the plasma gas was stopped was found to be a slow process with a time scale depending on the type of the gas contaminant. The presence of gas contaminant in the electrode material controls the cathode erosion mechanism and the overall arc behavior in the transition between a contaminated to a pure argon arc.