Influence of the Laminar Plasma Torch Construction on the Jet Characteristics

Based on two typical laminar plasma torches (LPT), i.e. a multi-electrode plasma torch (MEPT) with segmented anode structure and a two-electrode plasma torch (TEPT) with conventional structure, this paper studied the influence of the LPTs construction on the jet characteristics. Experiments were designed to measure their arc voltage, jet length, thermal efficiency and specific enthalpy using a home-made data acquisition system. With them, the jet characteristics of the two different LPTs were compared in detail. Results show that different plasma torch construction leads to distinctively different characteristics of the generated plasma jet. Based on the different jet characteristics, a plasma torch with appropriate construction could be used to meet the different application requirements.