Robert Vaculík

The high pressure torch discharge plasma source

We present a plasma source which works on the principle of the arc torch discharge. The powered electrode of the arc torch discharge was made from a thin pipe that simultaneously acts as the nozzle through which the working gas flows to the discharge region. The flow of the working gas stabilizes the arc torch discharge and a well defined plasma channel is created. The advantage of this system is that it is able to work at high pressure of working gas up to atmospheric pressure inside the plasma-chemical reactor and also in free space.

RF discharges at atmospheric pressure

The described plasma source is based on the RF torch discharge. The powered RF electrode of the torch discharge plasma source is made from the thin metal pipe with an inner diameter of 1–2 mm and with a length of several cm. The working gas (argon pure or with an admixture of reactive components) flows through the RF electrode as the nozzle. The electrode is connected through the matching unit to the RF generator of the frequency of 13.56 MHz.The advantage of this described plasma source consists in the fact that the torch discharge remains stable up to the atmospherical pressure of the working gas even in the liquid environments. Up to now the torch discharge has been used only for treatment in liquid environment only for archaeological artefacts. For further applications it is necessary to additional study of this phenomenon. While in previous papers we presented a measurement of different temperatures from spectra emitted by plasma, there is drawn attention to equiintensity maps inside the nozzle.

The high pressure plasma source for the surface treatment technology based on the torch discharge stabilized by working gas flow

The RF torch discharge has been described as a source of the plasma channel. The advantage of this system is that it is possible to use it up to atmospheric pressure for surface coating. The torch discharge works even in the liquid environment.