Design and electrical charaterization of a low current-high voltage compact arc plasma torch

A new compact plasma torch associated with a resonance power supply allows the generation of low power discharges ( typically 100W - 1 kW) under high voltage (> 1 kV) low current (< 1 A) conditions. The resonance power supply allows continuous control of the discharge current, which is a major improvement with respect to the traditional dc power source based on a high voltage transformer. In addition, this system is characterized by a high conversion efficiency that is crucial when it comes to industrial applications. It has been shown that different regimes ranging from streamer over gliding arc to continuous discharges were obtained depending on the operating conditions. The objective of this paper is a better understanding of the different observed behaviour through the determination of the main torch and power supply parameters.