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High Temperature Material Processes (An International Quarterly of High-Technology Plasma Processes)

An International Journal

ISSN for PRINT: 1093-3611

Institutional price:	$604.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2005, Volume9

174 pages

DOI: 10.1615/HighTempMatProc.v9.i4

Issue price - $144.00

HELMHOLTZ BEHAVIOR OF A NITROGEN PLASMA ARC CHAMBER

L. Delair
U.M.R 6614 - C.N.R.S - C.O.R.I.A., Technopole du Madrillet - B. P. 12, 76801 Saint Etienne du Rouvray Cedex, France

X. Tu
U.M.R 6614 - C.N.R.S - C.O.R.I.A., Technopole du Madrillet - B. P. 12, 76801 Saint Etienne du Rouvray Cedex, France

A. Bultel
CORIA, UMR 6614, Université de Rouen, Site Universitaire du Madrillet, Avenue de l'Université, 76801 Saint-Étienne du Rouvray Cedex, France

B. G. Cheron
CORIA, UMR 6614, Université de Rouen, Site Universitaire du Madrillet, Avenue de l'Université, 76801 Saint-Étienne du Rouvray Cedex, France

ABSTRACT

The dynamic behaviour of an original double anode plasma torch which provides a long lifetime and highly stable supersonic low-pressure nitrogen plasma jet is analyzed by means of classical tools such as FFT, correlation function and Wigner distribution. At both arc chamber stages, the plasma is investigated by means of spectroscopic diagnostics. They reveal that the anode attachments are diffuse rather than local. Electron temperature and number density are comparable to those derived from a simple LTE model. Voltage, arc current and light intensity temporal series exhibit two main characteristic frequencies: the electric generators yield very stable and reproducible 150 Hz oscillations, whereas the firing of the second arc gives birth to a sharp 6.7 kHz peak which is ascribed to the generation of acoustic waves in the region of the first anode attachment. The value of this frequency that depends neither on the electrical injected power nor on the mass flow rate is interpreted by assuming that the arc chamber acts as a Helmholtz oscillator.