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Plasma jet generating apparatus with plasma confining vortex generator

  • US 4,620,080 A
  • Filed: 06/25/1985
  • Issued: 10/28/1986
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1984
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A plasma jet generating apparatus comprising:

  • a torch center electrode;

    a torch nozzle having first and second ends and into the first end of which said torch center electrode is directed;

    a first DC power source connected across the first and the second ends of said torch nozzle for producing a plasma jet in cooperation with a working gas caused to flow through said torch nozzle; and

    a vortex flow/discharge unit connected to said second end of said torch nozzle, said unit comprising;

    a second DC power source, one end of which is connected to said torch nozzle;

    a gas diverter nozzle spaced from the second end of said torch nozzle and to which the other end of said second DC power source is connected; and

    a vortex flow chamber connected between said gas diverter nozzle and said torch nozzle, said chamber having a cylindrical shape defined by a cylindrical wall, said cylindrical wall having a plurality of sets of at least four through holes extending therethrough tangentially to the inside cylindrical surface of said cylindrical wall, the through holes of each set being spaced around the periphery of said cylindrical wall and the holes in each set being aligned with corresponding holes in the other sets along lines on the cylindrical wall which are parallel to the cylindrical axis of said chamber, said chamber having a donut-shaped end wall perpendicular to the cylindrical wall and on the end remote from said torch nozzle, said end wall being constituted by the end wall of said gas diverter nozzle which is toward said torch nozzle; and

    means for directing a working gas under pressure through said through holes into said vortex flow chamber for forming a vortex gas tunnel of the working gas enclosing the plasma jet therein, whereby the plasma jet is subjected to a thermal pinch effect through the gas tunnel and the plasma jet is produced while maintaining thermal isolation of the plasma jet from the inside wall of the gas diverter nozzle.

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