INP

Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology
Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 2
17489 Greifswald
GERMANY

https://www.inp-greifswald.de/en/
welcomeatinp-greifswald [punkt] de

The Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) is the largest non-university institute in the field of low temperature plasmas, their basics and technical applications in Europe. The institute carries out research and development from idea to prototype. The topics focus on the needs of the market. At present, plasmas for materials and energy as well as for environment and health are the focus of interest.

Cite Dataset

Modelling and experimental evidence of the cathode erosion in a plasma spray torch

The lifetime of tungsten cathodes used in plasma spray torches is limited by processes leading to a loss of cathode material. It was reported in the literature that the mechanism of their erosion is the evaporation. A model of the ionization layer of a cathode is developed to study the diffusive transport of evaporated tungsten atoms and tungsten ions produced due to ionization by electron impact in a background argon plasma. It is shown that the Stefan-Maxwell equations do not reduce to Fick law as one could expect for the transport of diluted species, which is due to significant diffusion velocities of argon ions. The ionization of tungsten atoms occurs in a distance of a few micrometers from the cathode surface and leads to a strong sink, which increases the net flux of tungsten atoms far beyond that obtained in absence of tungsten ions. This shows that the tungsten ions are driven by the electric field towards the cathode resulting in no net diffusive flux and no removal of tungsten species from the ionization layer even if convection is accounted for. A possible mechanism of removal is found by extending the model to comprise an anode. The extended model resolves the inter-electrode region and provides the plasma parameters for a current density corresponding to the value at the center of the cathode under typical arc currents of 600 A and 800 A. The presence of the anode causes a reversal of the electric field on the anode side, which pulls the ions away from the ionization layer of the cathode. The net flux of tungsten ions can be further fortified by convection. This model allows one to evaluate the loss of cathode material under realistic operating conditions in a quantitative agreement with measured values.

FieldValue
Group
Authors
Release Date
2022-07-07
Identifier
f7116dbe-455b-451d-b7d7-8a8a48d82993
Permanent Identifier (DOI)
Permanent Identifier (URI)
Is supplementing
Plasma Source Name
Plasma Source Application
Plasma Source Specification
Plasma Source Properties

The torch is typically operated in pure argon, and mixtures of argon with hydrogen or nitrogen with flow rates between 40 and 80 NLPM and direct electric current of several hundred amperes.

Plasma Medium Name
Plasma Medium Properties

Thermal plasma in the arc column, non-equilibrium plasma near the electrodes.

Plasma Target Name
Plasma Target Properties
Tungsten can withstand temperatures up to about 3800 K. It is used to provide thermionic emission of electrons.
Plasma Target Procedure
Due to the erosion, the cathode has to be replaced by a fresh one. The lifetime of the cathode depends also on the operating conditions.
Plasma Diagnostics Name
Plasma Diagnostics Procedure

The erosion of the cathode made of lanthanated tungsten is studied by two models considering the diffusive transport of evaporated atoms from the cathode.

Language
English
License
Public Access Level
Public
Contact Name
Margarita Baeva
Contact Email

Data and Resources