VELOCITY-MEASUREMENT OF DC PLASMA JETS BASED ON ARC ROOT FLUCTUATIONS

The axial component of the radial velocity distribution of a plasma flow generated by a dc plasma spray torch was measured by using a nonintrusive optical method, based on the propagation of the plasma jet luminosity fluctuations. In contrast to the simplicity of the experimental set-up, a special effort was made in the data processing, namely by using numerical techniques defined in the context of signal theory. Both centerline and radial profiles of the axial velocity were obtained for pure Ar and Ar-H-2 plasma flows. These experimental results were satisfactorily validated by calculating enthalpy and mass balances.