HIGH PERFORMANCE INDUCTION PLASMA TORCH WITH A WATER-COOLED CERAMIC CONFINEMENT TUBE

• Main Authors: JUREWICZ, JERZY, BOULOS, MAHER I
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 29.01.2002
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OFNEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMICBEAMS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A high performance induction plasma torch (1) com- prises a cylindrical torch body (2) made of cast ceramic or composite polymer, a coaxial cylindrical plasma confinement tube (9) located inside the torch body (2), a gas distributor head (11) secured to one end of the torch body (2) to supply the confinement tube (9) with gaseous substances, a cylindri- cal and coaxial induction coil (3) completely embedded in the ceramic or polymer material of the torch body (2), and a thin annular chamber (25) separating the coaxial torch body (2) and confinement tube (9). This confinement tube can be made of pure or composite ceramic materials based on sin- tered or reaction bonded silicon nitride, boron nitride, alumi- num nitride or alumina, or any combinations of them with varying additives and fillers. The annular chamber (25) is about 1 mm thick and high velocity cooling water flows there- in to efficiently cool the plasma confinement tube (9).