CN113840440A

CN113840440A - Plasma generator

Info

Publication number: CN113840440A
Application number: CN202010580851.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈培培; 高锐; 党殿杰; 刘军
Original assignee: ENN Science and Technology Development Co Ltd
Current assignee: ENN Science and Technology Development Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-23
Filing date: 2020-06-23
Publication date: 2021-12-24

Abstract

The disclosure relates to the technical field of plasma generation, and provides a plasma generator, which comprises an anode assembly, a cathode assembly, a gas generation assembly and a first heating assembly; the anode assembly comprises a plasma chamber, a gas inlet and a nozzle, wherein the gas inlet is used for introducing gas into the plasma chamber, and the nozzle is arranged at the tail end of the plasma chamber to discharge plasma outwards; the cathode assembly is provided with a discharge end, the discharge end is positioned in the plasma chamber, and a preset distance is reserved between the discharge end and the surface of the plasma chamber; the gas generation assembly comprises a liquid chamber and a gas chamber, the liquid chamber is communicated with the gas chamber, the liquid chamber is arranged around the nozzle to be in heat conduction connection with the nozzle, and the gas chamber is communicated with the plasma chamber through a gas inlet of the anode assembly; the first heating assembly is used for heating the liquid in the liquid chamber so that the liquid is gasified and enters the gas chamber, and the first heating assembly comprises an electromagnetic induction coil arranged around the nozzle.

Description

Plasma generator

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of plasma generation technology, and more particularly, to a plasma generator.

Background

The plasma generator can ionize gas through high voltage electricity to convert the gas into an ionized state with high temperature and conductivity. The plasma is electrically conductive and enables the arc energy to be rapidly transferred and converted into heat energy, thereby generating a high temperature jet. The high-temperature jet flow generated by the plasma generator can provide a heat source for industrial furnaces with various functions such as gasification, cracking, reaction, melting, smelting and the like.

When the steam is used as the working gas, the superheated steam with low temperature and high pressure is generally supplied by an external steam generator and a superheater, and the superheated steam is delivered to the plasma generator through a steam pipeline. The steam has heat loss and pressure drop in the pipeline transportation, which causes the superheat degree of the steam entering the plasma generator to be reduced, and the discharge parameter change has certain uncertainty. Therefore, steam generating equipment and a conveying pipeline are required to be arranged for conveying steam to the plasma generator, the occupied area is large, and the heat efficiency is low.

Disclosure of Invention

To solve the above technical problem or to at least partially solve the above technical problem, the present disclosure provides a plasma generator.

In a first aspect, a plasma generator is provided, comprising an anode assembly, a cathode assembly, a gas generation assembly, and a first heating assembly; the anode assembly comprises a plasma chamber, a gas inlet and a nozzle, wherein the gas inlet is used for introducing gas into the plasma chamber, and the nozzle is arranged at the tail end of the plasma chamber to discharge plasma outwards; the cathode assembly is provided with a discharge end, the discharge end is positioned in the plasma chamber, and a preset distance is reserved between the discharge end and the surface of the plasma chamber; the gas generation assembly comprises a liquid chamber and a gas chamber, the liquid chamber is communicated with the gas chamber, the liquid chamber is arranged around the nozzle to be in heat conduction connection with the nozzle, and the gas chamber is communicated with the plasma chamber through a gas inlet of the anode assembly; the first heating assembly is used for heating the liquid in the liquid chamber so that the liquid is gasified and enters the gas chamber, and the first heating assembly comprises an electromagnetic induction coil arranged around the nozzle.

In a first possible implementation, the gas chamber is disposed around the plasma chamber.

In combination with the above possible implementation manner, in a second possible implementation manner, the plasma generator further includes a second heating assembly, and the second heating assembly is used for heating the gas in the gas chamber.

In combination with the above possible implementations, in a third possible implementation, the second heating assembly includes an induction coil surrounding the gas chamber.

In combination with the above possible implementation manners, in a fourth possible implementation manner, a superheater is disposed between the gas chamber and the plasma chamber, and is configured to introduce the gas in the gas chamber into the plasma chamber and heat the gas flowing through the superheater.

In combination with the above possible implementation manners, in a fifth possible implementation manner, the superheater includes a pipeline and a third heating assembly for heating the pipeline.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manners, in a sixth possible implementation manner, the pipeline includes at least two branch pipes connected in parallel.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manners, in a seventh possible implementation manner, the third heating assembly is an electromagnetic induction heating device, and the electromagnetic induction heating device has an induction coil surrounding the pipeline.

In combination with the above possible implementation manners, in an eighth possible implementation manner, the first heating assembly, the second heating assembly, and the third heating assembly use separate power supplies respectively.

In a ninth possible implementation, in combination with the above possible implementations, the gas inlet is configured to enable gas to enter the plasma chamber tangentially.

Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure has the following advantages: the plasma generator does not need to be provided with a steam generator and a steam conveying pipeline independently, so that the overall occupied space of the device can be greatly reduced, the requirement of device integration is met, and the pressure and heat loss in the steam conveying process is reduced.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments or technical solutions in the prior art of the present disclosure, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without inventive exercise.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a plasma generator according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

description of reference numerals:

100-anode assembly, 110-plasma chamber, 111-plasma chamber wall;

120-a gas inlet;

130-nozzle, 131-nozzle wall;

200-cathode assembly, 210-discharge end;

300-a gas generating assembly;

310-liquid chamber, 311-first heating element, 312-cooling water inlet, 313-cooling water outlet;

320-air chamber;

331-minute tube, 332-minute tube, 333-third heating component.

Detailed Description

In order that the above objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure may be more clearly understood, aspects of the present disclosure will be further described below. It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined with each other without conflict.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure may be practiced in other ways than those described herein; it is to be understood that the embodiments disclosed in the specification are only a few embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all embodiments.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma generator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In this embodiment, the plasma generator includes an anode assembly 100, a cathode assembly 200, a gas generation assembly 300, a first heating assembly 311, a second heating assembly 321, and a third heating assembly 333. The anode assembly 100 is a rotary body having a cavity, the wall of the rotary body is a plasma chamber wall 111, the cavity inside the rotary body is a plasma chamber 110, the nozzle 130 is an end portion of the plasma chamber 110, and the gas inlet 120 is located at an end of the plasma chamber 110 opposite to the nozzle 130. Gas inlet 120 is used to introduce gas into plasma chamber 110. The nozzle 130 serves to discharge the plasma outward. The cathode assembly 200 has a discharge end 210, the discharge end 210 is located inside the plasma chamber 110, and a predetermined distance is provided between the discharge end 210 and the plasma chamber wall 111 of the plasma chamber 110, and an arc can be generated when a voltage is applied therebetween. The anode assembly 100 is surrounded by a solid wall, which forms a liquid chamber 310 and a gas chamber 320 with the outer surface of the anode assembly 100, and the gas chamber 320 is located above the liquid chamber 310 and is communicated with the liquid chamber 310. The liquid chamber 310 surrounds the nozzle 130, and the liquid chamber 310 is thermally connected to the nozzle 130. A plenum 320 surrounds the plasma chamber 110, the plenum 320 communicating with the gas inlet 120 of the anode assembly 100 through a superheater 330 to the plasma chamber 110. The air chamber 320 is provided with a second heating unit 321, and the liquid chamber 310 is provided with a first heating unit 311.

The gas inlet 120 is oriented tangentially to the surface of the plasma chamber 110 to impart a swirling flow to the gas stream entering the plasma chamber 110. The gas inlet 120 is formed in the wall of the plasma chamber 110 in this embodiment, but in alternative embodiments, a separate swirl ring feature may be provided to control the flow of gas into the plasma chamber 110. The gas swirler includes an annular cavity therein, a gas inlet disposed at an inner surface of the gas swirler, and a gas outlet disposed tangentially to the inner ring, i.e., the gas inlet of the plasma chamber 110.

The following describes the structure of each part of the plasma generator more specifically.

The plasma chamber 110 of the anode assembly 100 communicates with the nozzle 130, and the two are integrally formed into a chamber having an opening, a gas inlet 120 is provided at the other end opposite to the opening, the entire chamber forms a gas passage, and water vapor can enter the plasma chamber 110 through the gas inlet 120 and be discharged through the nozzle 130 after being converted into an ionic state. The anode assembly 100 is in communication with the positive electrode of the power supply, and the portion of the plasma chamber wall 111 of the anode assembly 100 forms the anode, which is tapered for discharge with the cathode assembly 200. An interlayer made of ferromagnetic material is arranged between the nozzle wall body 131 of the nozzle 130 and the electromagnetic coil, the interlayer can rapidly generate heat under the action of eddy current, and the ferromagnetic interlayer has good thermal conductivity and can well transfer heat with the nozzle wall body 131.

The cathode assembly 200 has a discharge end 210. The discharge end 210 is located within the plasma chamber 110 of the anode assembly 100. The discharge end 210 has a frustum structure with a predetermined distance from the plasma chamber wall 111. The cathode assembly 200 is connected to the negative electrode of the power source, so that the surface of the discharge end 210 forms a low potential. The space between the surface of the frustum structure of the discharge end 210 and the wall 111 of the plasma chamber is located between the gas inlet 120 and the nozzle 130, and water vapor entering the plasma chamber 110 from the gas inlet 120 needs to pass through the space to reach the nozzle 130.

In the gas generating assembly 300, the liquid chamber 310 has a cooling water inlet 312 and a cooling water outlet 313, cooling water can be introduced into the liquid chamber 310, and water vapor generated by evaporation of the cooling water can be used as a water vapor source of the plasma generator. A pressure regulator may be provided at the cooling water outlet 313 to regulate the pressure and pressure of the air in the gas generating assembly 300. The liquid chamber 310 is disposed around the nozzle 130 to share a portion of the wall with the nozzle 130, so that heat at the nozzle 130 can be easily transferred to the cooling water in the liquid chamber 310.

The first heating unit 311 can heat the cooling water in the liquid chamber 310 to cause appropriate temperature rise and evaporation. In this embodiment, the first heating element 311 is an electromagnetic induction heating device, and an electromagnetic induction coil in the electromagnetic induction heating device is subjected to high temperature resistant waterproof insulation treatment and surrounds the nozzle wall 131 of the nozzle 130. When alternating current is supplied to the electromagnetic induction coil, the temperature of the nozzle wall body 131 can be raised, and the heat of the part can heat the cooling water in the liquid chamber 310. In addition, before the arc striking between the anode assembly 100 and the cathode assembly 200, the nozzle wall 131 may be preheated by the first heating assembly 311 to reduce the condensation of the water vapor flowing through the nozzle wall 131, thereby reducing the occurrence of arc extinction in the initial stage after the arc striking. After the arc is initiated between the anode assembly 100 and the cathode assembly 200, the cooling water may be warmed up by the heat of the arc and the current in the first heating assembly 311 may be reduced or cut off as needed. In some alternative embodiments, the first heating assembly may also be disposed at any position in the liquid chamber 310 to heat the cooling water; in other alternative embodiments, the first heating element may also be a heating wire.

In the gas generating module 300, the gas chamber 320 is located above the liquid chamber 310, and the gas chamber and the liquid chamber 310 are connected and communicated through an orifice plate, and water vapor generated in the liquid chamber 310 can enter the gas chamber 320 through the orifice plate. The plenum 320 is also disposed around the plasma chamber 110.

The water vapor entering the gas chamber 320 from the liquid chamber 310 is low temperature unsaturated water vapor, the temperature of which is approximately between 60 ℃ and 70 ℃, and the water vapor needs to be further heated. The second heating assembly 321 is used for heating the water vapor in the air chamber 320 to about 200 ℃. The high temperature steam can heat the plasma chamber wall 111, eliminating the occurrence of steam condensation, thereby preventing the initial arc extinction after arcing. In this embodiment, the second heating element 321 is an electromagnetic induction heating device, and an induction coil in the electromagnetic induction heating device surrounds the air chamber 320, so as to directly heat the outer wall of the air chamber 320, thereby rapidly increasing the temperature. Moreover, since the gas chamber 320 is disposed around the plasma chamber 110, the gas chamber 320 can also absorb heat in the plasma chamber 110 to heat the water vapor, which is equivalent to the water vapor in the gas chamber 320 cooling the plasma chamber wall 111. In some alternative embodiments, the second heating element may also be a heating wire; in other alternative embodiments, a second heating assembly may also be disposed within plenum 320.

The water vapor in the plenum 320 eventually needs to be introduced into the plasma chamber 110 through the gas inlet 120. In this embodiment, the water vapor in the gas chamber 320 is first superheated by the heat generator 330, and then enters the plasma chamber 110 through the gas inlet 120 after the temperature is raised to about 350 ℃. The superheater 330 serves to heat the water vapor into superheated steam. Superheater 330 includes a bypass 331, a bypass 332, and a third heating element 333. The branched pipe 331 and the branched pipe 332 communicate the gas inlet 120 and the gas chamber 320. The third heating unit 333 heats the water vapor in the branched pipe 331 and the branched pipe 332. Specifically, the third heating element 333 is an electromagnetic induction heating device having an induction coil. The branch pipe 331 and the branch pipe 332 are two pipelines disposed at different positions, and the two induction coils respectively surround the branch pipe 331 and the branch pipe 332. After the induction coil heats the pipe, the water vapor flowing through the pipe can be further heated. The branched

pipes

331 and 332 may be made of a ferromagnetic material, or may be coupled to an inner layer or an outer layer that can generate an eddy current in an ac environment. In some alternative embodiments, the number of the branch pipes may be more, and the specific arrangement of the branch pipes may be determined according to the condition of the installation space, such as the branch pipes are arranged along the periphery of the plasma generator, and specifically may be arranged side by side, or arranged in a left-right symmetrical manner, and the like. In a limited length space, the short pipes are arranged to increase the total capacity of the heat exchanger and the heat exchange area, and the heat exchanger can also play a role in stabilizing pressure after the total capacity is increased, so that the pressure of water vapor entering the plasma chamber 110 is kept stable.

In practice, deionized water may be used as cooling water. Cooling water is introduced into the liquid chamber 310 through the cooling water inlet 312, and after the cooling water is discharged from the cooling water outlet 313, the water outlet valve is closed and kept at a certain pressure. Then, the first heating element 311 is activated to heat the nozzle wall 131, and the temperature of the cooling water is raised. When the temperature of the cooling water rises to 80 ℃, the water vapor generated in the liquid chamber 310 enters the gas chamber 320 and the superheater 330, and the second heating element 321 and the third heating element 333 heat the water vapor to change the water vapor into superheated vapor. Superheated steam enters the plasma chamber 110 through the gas inlet 120 and exits the nozzle 130. When the steam temperature between the anode and the cathode reaches the discharge temperature requirement of the plasma generator, the anode assembly 100 and the cathode assembly 200 are respectively connected with a power supply to enable an arc striking voltage to be applied between the cathode and the anode, and water steam is broken down to generate plasma arc. During operation of the plasma generator, the cooling water in the liquid chamber 310 is heated by the electric arc and generates water vapor. The first heating element first interface 311, the second heating element 321 and the third heating element 333 are respectively provided with an independent power supply, so that the power of the first heating element 311 can be independently adjusted according to the temperature of the nozzle wall body 131 and the temperature of cooling water, and meanwhile, the power of the second heating element 321 and the third heating element 333 is correspondingly adjusted according to the outlet temperature of the superheater 330, so that the requirements of parameters such as the temperature of a steam discharge medium are met.

When the flow rate of the steam is small, the third heating unit 333 may not be provided, and the steam may be heated to the superheated state only by the second heating unit 321. The third heating element 333 enables the superheated state of the steam to be more stable when the flow rate of the steam is large.

The plasma generator provided by the disclosure does not need to independently install a steam generator and a steam conveying pipeline, can greatly reduce the whole occupied space of the device, meets the requirement of device integration, and reduces the loss of pressure and heat in the steam conveying process. Meanwhile, cooling water and steam are heated in an electromagnetic heating mode, heating is rapid, electricity can be saved by 35%, and the energy-saving effect is remarkable. In addition, the cooling water of the anode assembly is used as a water source for providing a discharge medium, and laying of pipelines can be reduced. The first heating assembly may also preheat the walls of the anode to reduce condensation of water vapor.

It is noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second," and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Also, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

The foregoing are merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, which enable those skilled in the art to understand or practice the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A plasma generator, comprising:

an anode assembly (100) comprising a plasma chamber (110), a gas inlet (120) and a nozzle (130), wherein the gas inlet (120) is used for introducing gas into the plasma chamber (110), and the nozzle (130) is arranged at the tail end of the plasma chamber (110) to discharge plasma outwards;

a cathode assembly (200) having a discharge end (210), the discharge end (210) being located within the plasma chamber (110), the discharge end (210) having a predetermined distance from a surface of the plasma chamber (110);

a gas generation assembly (300) comprising a liquid chamber (310) and a gas chamber (320), the liquid chamber (310) and the gas chamber (320) being in communication, the liquid chamber (310) being disposed around the nozzle (130) for thermally conductive connection with the nozzle (130), the gas chamber (320) being in communication with the plasma chamber (110) through the gas inlet (120) of the anode assembly (100); and

a first heating assembly (311) for heating the liquid in the liquid chamber (310) to vaporize the liquid and enter the gas chamber (320), the first heating assembly (311) comprising an electromagnetic induction coil disposed around the nozzle (130).

2. The plasma generator of claim 1, wherein the gas chamber (320) is disposed about the plasma chamber (110).

3. The plasma generator of claim 1, further comprising a second heating assembly (321), the second heating assembly (321) being for heating the gas in the gas chamber (320).

4. The plasma generator according to claim 3, wherein the second heating assembly (321) comprises an induction coil surrounding the gas chamber (320).

5. The plasma generator of claim 3, wherein a superheater (330) is disposed between the gas chamber (320) and the plasma chamber (110), the superheater (330) being configured to direct gas within the gas chamber (320) into the plasma chamber (110) and to heat gas flowing therethrough.

6. The plasma generator according to claim 5, wherein the superheater (330) comprises a conduit and a third heating assembly (333) for heating the conduit.

7. The plasma generator according to claim 6, characterized in that the conduit comprises at least two parallel partial tubes (331, 332).

8. The plasma generator of claim 6, wherein the third heating assembly (333) is an electromagnetic induction heating device having an induction coil surrounding the conduit.

9. The plasma generator of claim 6, wherein the first heating assembly (311), the second heating assembly (321), and the third heating assembly (333) each use a separate power supply.

10. The plasma generator according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the gas inlet (120) is arranged to enable gas to enter the plasma chamber (110) tangentially.