Plasma Jet Technology

Survey on industrial applications of plasma arc devices.

There is growing interest in the use of physical plasmas (ionized gases) for biomedical applications, especially in the framework of so-called “plasma medicine”, which exploits the action of low-power, atmospheric pressure plasmas for therapeutic purposes. Such plasmas are “cold plasmas”, in the sense that only electrons have a high temperature, whereas ions and the neutral gas particles are at or near room temperature. As a consequence, the “plasma flame” can be directly applied to living matter without appreciable thermal load. Reactive chemical species, charged particles, visible and UV radiation, and electric fields are interaction channels of the plasma with pathogens, cells, and tissues, which can trigger a variety of different responses. Possible applications include disinfection, wound healing, cancer treatment, non-thermal blood coagulation, just to mention some. The understanding of the mechanisms of plasma action on living matter requires a strongly interdisciplinary approach, with competencies ranging from plasma physics and technology to chemistry, to biology and finally to medicine. This book is a collection of work that explores recent advances in this field.

The demand of industry for new composite and functional materials with preset properties has led to increased investigations into processes which occur in plasma jets of complex chemical composition with an additive to disperse particles as well as at their interaction with hard surfaces under the conditions of superfast cooling of the particles which are in complex aggregation state. This Proceedings Volume contains the papers that were presented during the International Workshop ''High-Temperature Dust-Laden Jets in the Processes of Treatment of Powder Materials'', held in Novosibirsk, USSR, 6--8 September 1988. The scope of the Workshop incorporated the following topics: -- Modelling of the processes of interphase momentum, heat and mass transfer in dust-laden plasma jets as well as interaction between the particles which are in complex aggregation state and the base. -- Diagnostics of the parameters of gas disperse phases in high-temperature dust-laden flows. -- Processes of the formation of plasma sprayed coatings. -- Processes of treatment and production of powder materials.

Nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets (N-APPJs) generate plasma in open space rather than in a confined chamber and can be utilized for applications in medicine. This book provides a complete introduction to this fast-emerging field, from the fundamental physics, to experimental approaches, to plasma and reactive species diagnostics. It provides an overview of the development of a wide range of plasma jet devices and their fundamental mechanisms. The book concludes with a discussion of the exciting application of plasmas for cancer treatment. The book provides details on experimental methods including expert tips and caveats. covers novel devices driven by various power sources and the impact of operating conditions on concentrations and fluxes of the reactive species. discusses the latest advances including theory, modeling, and simulation approaches. gives an introduction, overview and details on state of the art diagnostics of small scale high gradient atmospheric pressure plasmas. covers the use of N-APPJs for cancer applications, including discussion of destruction of cancer cells, mechanisms of action, and selectivity studies. XinPei Lu is a Chair Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Stephan Reuter is currently Visiting Professor at Université Paris-Saclay. In a recent Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship at Princeton University, he performed ultrafast laser spectroscopy on cold plasmas. Mounir Laroussi is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Plasma Engineering and Medicine Institute at Old Dominion University. He is a Fellow of IEEE and recipient of an IEEE Merit Award. DaWei Liu is Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

The demands of industry for creating new functional materials with predetermined properties have stimulated an increasing interest in the investigation of processes occurring in plasma jets of complex chemical composition (homogeneous and heterogeneous) as well as their interaction with hard surfaces. This Proceedings volume contains contributions from leading international specialists on plasma science and technology which were presented at the 2nd International Workshop ''Plasma Jets in the Development in of New Materials Technology'', 3--9 September 1990, Frunze (USSR). The scope of the workshop incorporated the following aspects: modelling of the processes of momentum heat and mass transfer in homogeneous and heterogeneous plasma jets as well as interaction between the particles and the base; diagnostics of the parameters of gas and disperse phases in plasma flows; plasma-spraying processes investigations; processes of treatment and production of materials, including powder materials.

Arcs and arc processes have been used since the turn of the century in a myriad of applications ranging from welding to chemical synthesis. However, no concerted research effort was carried out in this field until the 1950's when first the Department of the Navy and then the Army and Air Force saw fit to fund a number of research endeavors. More recently, NASA has enter & the field both in its own laboratories and through contract research support, and the entire arc and plasma field has progressed remarkably since this support became available. With the advent of the missile and space age, a need became apparent for a method of producing reentry conditions in the laboratory in order to investigate the many phenomena that missiles and spacecraft encounter as they travel back to earth. The effort to produce these conditions has led to the development of large arc heaters and plasma jets which can be controlled precisely to give the exact parameters desired. Small, compact and low power thrustors have also been developed, leading to small cutting and welding torches and high intensity light sources.

Nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets (N-APPJs) generate plasma in open space rather than in a confined chamber and can be utilized for applications in medicine. This book provides a complete introduction to this fast-emerging field, from the fundamental physics, to experimental approaches, to plasma and reactive species diagnostics. It provides an overview of the development of a wide range of plasma jet devices and their fundamental mechanisms. The book concludes with a discussion of the exciting application of plasmas for cancer treatment. The book provides details on experimental methods including expert tips and caveats. covers novel devices driven by various power sources and the impact of operating conditions on concentrations and fluxes of the reactive species. discusses the latest advances including theory, modeling, and simulation approaches. gives an introduction, overview and details on state of the art diagnostics of small scale high gradient atmospheric pressure plasmas. covers the use of N-APPJs for cancer applications, including discussion of destruction of cancer cells, mechanisms of action, and selectivity studies. XinPei Lu is a Chair Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Stephan Reuter is currently Visiting Professor at Université Paris-Saclay. In a recent Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship at Princeton University, he performed ultrafast laser spectroscopy on cold plasmas. Mounir Laroussi is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Plasma Engineering and Medicine Institute at Old Dominion University. He is a Fellow of IEEE and recipient of an IEEE Merit Award. DaWei Liu is Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Written by a team of pioneering scientists from around the world, Low Temperature Plasma Technology: Methods and Applications brings together recent technological advances and research in the rapidly growing field of low temperature plasmas. The book provides a comprehensive overview of related phenomena such as plasma bullets, plasma penetration i