Abstract:
An arc heater having means forming an enclosed arc chamber, said means including first and second spaced electrodes electrically insulated from each other, the second electrode being the downstream electrode, the first and second electrodes being adapted to be connected to terminals of opposite polarity of a source of potential to produce and sustain an arc therebetween, means for admitting gas to be heated into the chamber and exhausting heated gas therefrom. Each of the first and second electrodes including a tip forming an arcing surface, each electrode tip having at least one space therein extending around the entire periphery of the tip, at least a portion of the space forming a fluid passageway for the flow of cooling fluid to conduct heat flux from the arcing surface, at least one permanent magnet mounted in the tip and occupying at least some of the remainder of the space in the tip, each electrode including supporting means for the tip secured thereto and including means for conducting fluid to and from the passageway in the tip, the permanent magnets within the tips creating a magnetic field with lines which are transverse to the arcing surfaces of both electrodes and which exert a force on the arc which causes the arc to move substantially continuously around and between the arcing surfaces of the tips.
Abstract:
An electrode has a tip forming an arcing surface, the tip being hollow, preferably generally annular in shape and preferably generally U-shaped in cross section. Disposed within the tip is according to one embodiment a permanent magnet having a contour similar to that of the tip, preferably having flat inside and outside walls, and which has the outside wall surface thereof forming either the north or south pole and the inside surface thereof forming the other magnetic pole. Lines of force leaving the magnet from, for example, the inside annular surface thereof being of the same polarity oppose each other and bend around the arcing surface of the tip to the pole formed by the outside wall surface of the permanent magnet. The magnetic field lines extend generally radially from the axis of the tip and transverse to the arcing surface, the lines also being transverse to the current in the arc path, and the field exerts a force on the arc which causes it to move substantially continuously around the arcing surface. The tip includes a passageway for the flow of the cooling fluid between the permanent magnet and the arcing surface to conduct heat flux therefrom, a wall portion of the tip separating the fluid passageway from the arcing surface. In another embodiment two annular permanent magnets radially spaced from each other have their upper and lower axially spaced surfaces forming the magnetic poles; a line between the north and south pole of each magnet may lie in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the electrode, that is the axial ends of the magnets are the poles. The two magnets have their north and south poles oppositely disposed with respect to each other. The gap between the upper poles of the two radially spaced annular magnets is closed by an annular ring of ferromagnetic material. The magnetic field between opposing poles at the lower end surfaces of the magnets extends transverse to the arcing surface around the entire face or periphery of the arcing surface, said transverse magnetic field exerting a force on the arc which causes it to rotate or move substantially continuously. A third embodiment employs a ceramic coating over a portion of the arcing surface to limit the width of the track on which an arc path may be formed to thereby utilize only the portion of the arcing surface of the tip which has substantially the total magnetic field parallel thereto and extending radially thereacross. An additional embodiment uses peripherally spaced discrete radially extending bars, the inner ends of all bars having the same or like polarity. An arc heater has two axially spaced electrodes, each of which is fluid cooled and includes at least one annular permanent magnet in the electrode tip and passageway therein for the flow of cooling fluid.