Abstract
In D.C. plasma guns used for plasma spraying, the properties of the plasma forming-gas control, to a great extent, the characteristics of the plasma jet and the momentum, heat and mass transfer to the particles injected in the flow. This paper deals with mixtures of argon, helium and hydrogen and the effect of the volume composition of these mixtures on the dynamic and static behavior of the plasma jet. Both were investigated from the measurements of arc voltage and gas velocity. Correlations between these parameters and the operating variables (arc current, gas flow rate, gas mixture composition) were established from a dimensional analysis. The results were supported by the calculation of the thermodynamic and transport properties of the ternary gas mixtures used in this study.
Plasma guns feel the pinch
