Accession Number:

AD0750742

Title:

The Induction Arc, a State-of-the-Art Review

Descriptive Note:

[Technical Report, Technical Report]

Corporate Author:

AEROSPACE CORP EL SEGUNDO CA

Personal Author(s):

• Eckert, Hans U.

Report Date:

1972-10-31

Pagination or Media Count:

79

Abstract:

The induction arc is, in principle, a high-frequency transformer in which the secondary is formed by a thermal plasma. Since its invention in 1961, this arc has been the subject of over 100 investigations with widely differing goals. Information contained in the literature up to 1972, covering history, experimental techniques, theory, and applications, has been collected and reviewed. Fair agreement between experimental and theoretical data indicates that heat balance and skin effect are the two basic processes governing the arc plasma. This agreement appears to be limited by non-equilibrium effects for which no provisions have been made in the theoretical models. The absence of contamination by electrode material makes the induction arc suitable for applications where a clean plasma is essential. The most important industrial application may be in plasma chemistry, provided such an arc can be operated more efficiently. A promising approach is low-frequency operation directly from the power line by means of a sufficiently large iron core.

Descriptors:

Subject Categories:

• Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics

Distribution Statement:

[A, Approved For Public Release]