Plasma torch

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plasma torch capable of stably generating plasma at high power (MW level), which includes a torch body portion (200) configured in a cylindrical shape and provided between a rear electrode portion (110) and a front electrode portion (120), the torch body portion (200) being formed with a circular passage (201) for flowing a gas in an axial direction (C) and stacked by a plurality of segments (210) formed in a disc shape with a circular through-hole (211) formed in the center to form the passage (201), the segment (210) including a plurality of gas supply ports (212) formed in a spiral shape on one surface of the segment (210) along the through-hole (211) to form a flow path capable of introducing a reaction gas, a cooling flow path (213) having a flow path formed in a manner of surrounding the through-hole (211) for flowing cooling water, a cooling water supply flow path (214) formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying cooling water, a cooling water discharge flow path (215) formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for discharging cooling water, a gas supply flow path (216) formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying a discharge gas, a gas branch flow path (217) branched from the gas supply flow path (216) and connected to the gas supply port (212), a cooling water supply branch flow path (218) branched from the cooling water supply flow path (214) and connected to the branch cooling flow path (213), and a cooling water discharge branch flow path (219) branched from the cooling flow path (213) and connected to the branch cooling water discharge flow path (215).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a plasma torch, and more particularly, to a plasma torch capable of stably generating plasma at high power (MW level). BACKGROUND

[0002] In order to melt metals and non-combustible waste such as concrete using a plasma torch furnace, it is extremely important to use a plasma torch capable of stably generating plasma at high power.

[0003] Generally, the inner electrode of the plasma torch is configured in a hollow shape, and a gas such as nitrogen or argon is flowed into the center portion to generate plasma. A cooling flow path is formed outside the electrode to minimize the loss of the electrode material due to the internal electrode plasma discharge and high temperature, maintain the electrode performance, and thus stably manage the plasma torch.

[0004] However, the plasma torch of the hollow type, the rod type, the button type, etc. has a single internal cooling and gas inflow passage, and thus the gas is supplied in one place, and thus the electrode cooling is not uniform due to the cooling temperature deviation, and the gas flow is not constant, and thus has a defect that the plasma arc is violently fluctuated.

[0005] Thus, in the melting process of the waste, the operation variable is not stable, which can cause difficulty in stability of the equipment, and for the general hollow type and button type plasma torch, when the current rises, the arc length becomes short, and thus the gas flow must be increased, and thus the enthalpy is relatively low. Also, it is difficult to electrically insulate between the front electrode and the torch main body, and it is difficult to fix the cathode point, and thus abnormal arc discharge easily occurs in the reverse polarity operation, and thus it is difficult to perform the reverse polarity operation at high power (MW level).

[0006] PRIOR ART DOCUMENT

[0007] PATENT DOCUMENT

[0008] Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2007-0025139 (Publication Date: March 8, 2007)

[0009] Patent Document 2: Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1616487 (Publication Date: April 28, 2016) SUMMARY

[0010] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention aims to improve the problems of the prior art, and aims to provide a plasma torch capable of stably generating plasma at high power (MW level) by using an electrode main body portion configured by a plurality of plate structures each having a cooling flow path and a gas flow path.

[0012] Means for solving the problem

[0013] To achieve the above object, a plasma torch according to the present application includes: a rear electrode portion; a front electrode portion; a nozzle portion provided to the front electrode portion for discharging plasma gas; a torch main body portion configured in a cylindrical shape and provided between the rear electrode portion and the front electrode portion, the torch main body portion formed with a circular passage for flowing gas in an axial direction (C) and stacked with a plurality of segments, wherein the segments are formed in a disc shape and formed with a circular through-hole in the center to form the passage, the segments including: a plurality of gas supply ports formed in a spiral shape on one surface of the segment along the through-hole to form a flow path capable of introducing reaction gas; a cooling flow path having a flow path formed in a manner of surrounding the through-hole for flowing cooling water; a cooling water supply flow path formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying cooling water; a cooling water discharge flow path formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for discharging cooling water; a gas supply flow path formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying discharge gas; a gas branch flow path branched from the gas supply flow path and connected to the gas supply ports; a cooling water supply branch flow path branched from the cooling water supply flow path and connected to the cooling flow path; and a cooling water discharge branch flow path branched from the cooling flow path and connected to the cooling water discharge flow path.

[0014] Preferably, the segments further include a cooling block made of a copper material and configured in a ring shape to form a main portion of the through-hole, and an outer peripheral surface of the main portion is recessed inward to form the cooling flow path.

[0015] Preferably, a sealing surface is formed on one surface of the segment on which the gas supply ports are provided, the sealing surface is recessed outward of the gas supply ports to have a step difference, and an exhaust hole as an opening portion of the gas branch flow path is formed on the sealing surface.

[0016] Preferably, a gas-tight member is provided on the sealing surface outward of the exhaust hole such that the adjacent segments have gas tightness.

[0017] Preferably, in each segment, at least one of the cooling water supply flow path, the cooling water discharge flow path, and the gas supply flow path is configured in a plurality, divided into two or more intervals according to a length of the torch main body portion, and the gas branch flow path, the cooling water supply branch flow path, or the cooling water discharge branch flow path is selectively connected for each interval.

[0018] Effects of the invention

[0019] In the plasma torch according to the present application, the torch main body section composed of a plurality of disc-shaped segments is provided between the front electrode section and the rear electrode section, and each segment has a flow path for discharging a discharge gas and a cooling flow path for circulating cooling water. Therefore, a constant amount of discharge gas can be stably supplied to each segment, and cooling can be stably performed, thereby dispersing the heat load from a high-temperature arc column of MW level or more, effectively removing the heat load concentrated in one place to prevent abnormal discharge, while a stable plasma can be generated, the switching of the operation mode is also relatively easy, and the stability of the plasma torch operation can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A sectional view of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 A perspective view of a segment of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 3 A back view of a segment of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 4 A sectional view of a segment of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The specific structure disclosed in the embodiments of the present application and the functional description thereof are only for explaining the embodiments based on the concept of the present application, and the embodiments based on the concept of the present application can be implemented in various ways. Also, it should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in the present specification, and it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions belonging to the idea and technical scope of the present application.

[0025] In addition, the first and / or second and the like terms can be used to describe various constituent elements in the present application, but the constituent elements are not limited to the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one constituent element from other constituent elements, for example, the first constituent element can be named as the second constituent element, and similarly, the second constituent element can be named as the first constituent element, without exceeding the scope of the rights based on the concept of the present application.

[0026] When it is mentioned that a certain constituent element is "connected to" or "joined to" another constituent element, it is understood that there can be other constituent elements in between, although it can be directly connected or joined to the other constituent element. In contrast, if it is mentioned that a certain constituent element is "directly connected to" or "directly joined to" another constituent element, it is understood that there are no other constituent elements in between. Other descriptions used to explain the relationship between constituent elements, i.e., "between" and "just between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to", etc., should also be interpreted as above.

[0027] The terms used in the present specification are only used to describe particular embodiments, and the purpose is not to limit the present application. The singular description herein includes the plural unless explicitly stated otherwise. It should be understood that the terms "include" or "have" and the like used in the present specification are only used to specify the presence of the described features, numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, and do not preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0028] Embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the description of the well-known structure of the plasma torch will be omitted, and the main components will be mainly described.

[0029] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Referring to Figure 1 A plasma torch according to the present embodiment includes a rear electrode portion 110, a front electrode portion 120, a nozzle portion 130, and a torch body portion 200 disposed between the rear electrode portion 110 and the front electrode portion 120 and composed of a plurality of segments 210 stacked in a multi-plate structure.

[0031] The front electrode portion 120 and the rear electrode portion 110 are electrically connected to an anode or a cathode, respectively, to supply power. The rear electrode portion 110 can include a hollow electrode with one end closed, or an auxiliary electrode portion electrically connected to the anode or the cathode. The front end of the front electrode portion 120 is provided with the nozzle portion 130 that discharges a high-temperature plasma gas.

[0032] Each electrode is electrically insulated from each other and accommodated in a housing.

[0033] In particular, in the present application, the torch body portion 200 is formed with a circular passage 201 through which the gas flows in the axial direction (C), and the unit segments 210 of the torch body portion 200 are hermetically sealed and stacked in a multi-plate structure.

[0034] The rear end of the rear electrode portion 110 can be provided with a gas supply pipe 101 for supplying a discharge gas (e.g., nitrogen) and a cooling water pipe 102 for circulating cooling water. As a reference, Figure 1 One cooling water pipe 102 is illustrated as an example, but a cooling water supply pipe for flowing in cooling water and a cooling water discharge pipe for discharging cooling water can be provided separately.

[0035] Figure 2 A perspective view of a segment of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 A rear view of a segment of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The segment 210 is formed in a disc shape, and a circular through-hole 211 is formed in the center to form a passage. The segment 210 includes a plurality of gas supply ports 212 formed in a spiral shape on one surface of the segment 210 along the through-hole 211 to form a flow path capable of introducing a reaction gas, a cooling flow path 213 having a flow path formed in a manner of surrounding the through-hole 211 for cooling water to flow, a cooling water supply flow path 214 formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying cooling water, a cooling water discharge flow path 215 formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for discharging cooling water, a gas supply flow path 216 formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying a discharge gas, a gas branch flow path 217 branched from the gas supply flow path 216 and connected to the gas supply ports 212, a cooling water supply branch flow path 218 branched from the cooling water supply flow path 214 and connected to the cooling flow path 213, and a cooling water discharge branch flow path 219 branched from the cooling flow path 213 and connected to the cooling water discharge flow path 215.

[0037] On one surface of the segment 210, the gas supply ports 212 are adjacent to the through-hole 211 and formed in a spiral shape to introduce a reaction gas, thereby preventing an arc point from being gathered in one place inside to cause an abnormal discharge phenomenon and playing a role of pushing a constant arc column forward.

[0038] In addition, the gas supply ports 212 can be formed in another ceramic main body, and the ceramic main body provided with the gas supply ports 212 can be assembled to the adjacent segment 210, thereby maintaining airtightness between the segments to prevent a discharge gas from leaking.

[0039] In segment 210, the cooling water supply path 214, the cooling water discharge path 215, and the gas supply path 216 are formed in a vertically penetrating manner, and the cooling water supply path 214, the cooling water discharge path 215, and the gas supply path 216 of each segment 210 constituting the torch body 200 are connected to each other to form a single flow path. In addition, the cooling water supply path 214 and the cooling water discharge path 215 extend to the front electrode section 120 (see reference). Figure 1 The components are interconnected, so the cooling water supplied through the cooling water supply pipe flows along the cooling water supply flow path 214 after passing through the rear electrode section 110, and is discharged from the front electrode section 120 along the cooling water discharge flow path 215 to the cooling water discharge pipe, thereby circulating the cooling water along the body of the plasma torch. Furthermore, the gas supply flow path 216 can also extend to the front electrode section 120.

[0040] The gas branch flow path 217 branches off from the gas supply flow path 216 and is configured adjacent to the gas supply port 212 for connection. In this embodiment, an exhaust port 217a adjacent to the gas supply port 212 is formed on one surface of the segment 210. The exhaust port 217a is connected to the gas supply flow path 216 through the gas branch flow path 217.

[0041] Additionally, the vent 217a is located on the sealing surface 217b, which is recessed outside the gas supply port 212 to have a step. The outer side of the vent 217a on the sealing surface 217b has an airtight component (O-ring), thus enabling airtightness to be maintained with adjacent assembled segments.

[0042] Cooling water supply branch path 218 branches vertically from cooling water supply branch path 214 and connects to cooling flow path 213. Cooling water discharge branch path 219 branches vertically from cooling water discharge branch path 215 and connects to cooling flow path 213. Therefore, a portion of the cooling water flowing along cooling water supply branch path 214 flows into cooling flow path 213 via cooling water supply branch path 218 and is discharged via cooling water discharge branch path 219 and cooling water discharge branch path 215. As a result, a constant temperature is always maintained around through hole 211.

[0043] In addition, the cooling water supply branch flow path 218 and the cooling water discharge branch flow path 219 are respectively connected to the cooling water supply flow path 214 and the cooling water discharge flow path 215 in a radial direction from the cooling flow path 213. Therefore, in order to enable the cooling water flowing into the cooling flow path 213 to swirl and exchange heat sufficiently within the cooling flow path 213, it is preferable that the angle (θ) between the cooling water supply flow path 214 and the cooling water discharge flow path 215 is small, preferably not exceeding 90°.

[0044] The segment 210 can also have one or more flow paths 211a that communicate with the front electrode portion 120. Such a cooling water flow path 211a does not branch off at each segment, but circulates directly along the front electrode portion 120, and thus can adjust the cooling state of the front electrode portion 120.

[0045] In addition, each segment 210 can also have a plurality of cooling water supply flow paths 214, a plurality of cooling water discharge flow paths 215, and a plurality of gas supply flow paths 216. Accordingly, instead of branching flow paths 217, 218, 219 at each segment, the flow paths 214, 215, 216 are divided into segments according to the length of the torch body portion 200, and are used in sections from the flow paths 214, 215, 216, so that the discharge gas and cooling water distributed by each segment 210 can be distributed evenly in a torch body portion 200 composed of a large number of segments.

[0046] The segment 210 can be made of stainless steel (SUS), and preferably, a portion of the cooling flow path 213 can be made of a cooling block made of copper.

[0047] Figure 4 A sectional view of a segment of a plasma torch according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] Reference Signs List Figure 4 The segment 210 also includes a cooling block 220 having a ring-shaped body portion to form the through hole 211, and the outer periphery of the body portion is recessed inward to form the cooling flow path 213, wherein the cooling block 220 can be made of copper (Cu) having excellent electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity.

[0049] The present application described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments and drawings, and various substitutions, modifications, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present application, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present application pertains.

[0050] List of Reference Signs

[0051] 110: rear electrode portion 120: front electrode portion

[0052] 130: nozzle portion 200: torch body portion

[0053] 201: passage 210: segment

[0054] 211: through hole 212: gas supply port

[0055] 213: cooling flow path 214: cooling water supply flow path

[0056] 215: cooling water discharge flow path 216: gas supply flow path

[0057] 217: gas branch flow path 218: cooling water supply branch flow path

[0058] 219: cooling water discharge branch flow path

Claims

1. A plasma torch, comprising: Comprising: a rear electrode portion; a front electrode portion; a nozzle portion provided to the front electrode portion for discharging plasma gas; a torch main body portion configured in a cylindrical shape and provided between the rear electrode portion and the front electrode portion, the torch main body portion formed with a circular passage for flowing gas in an axial direction (C) and stacked with a plurality of segments; wherein the segment is formed in a disc shape and formed with a circular through-hole in the center to constitute the passage, the segment including: a plurality of gas supply ports formed in a spiral shape on one surface of the segment along the through-hole to form a flow path capable of introducing reaction gas; a cooling flow path having a flow path formed in a manner of surrounding the through-hole for flowing cooling water; a cooling water supply flow path formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying cooling water; a cooling water discharge flow path formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for discharging cooling water; a gas supply flow path formed in a manner of vertically penetrating to form a flow path for supplying discharge gas; a gas branch flow path branched from the gas supply flow path and connected to the gas supply port; a cooling water supply branch flow path branched from the cooling water supply flow path and connected to the cooling flow path; and a cooling water discharge branch flow path branched from the cooling flow path and connected to the cooling water discharge flow path; characterized in that: the segment further includes a cooling block made of a copper material configured in a ring shape to form a main body portion of the through-hole, an outer peripheral surface of the main body portion is recessed inward to form the cooling flow path, and the cooling flow path is also located between an inner peripheral surface of each segment and an outer peripheral surface of the cooling block.

2. The plasma torch according to claim 1, characterized in that: a sealing surface is formed on one surface of the segment provided with the gas supply port, the sealing surface recessed outward of the gas supply port to have a step difference, the sealing surface formed with an exhaust hole as an opening portion of the gas branch flow path.

3. The plasma torch according to claim 2, characterized in that: a gas-tight member is provided on the sealing surface outward of the exhaust hole such that the adjacent segments have gas-tightness.

4. The plasma torch according to claim 1, characterized in that: in each segment, at least one of the cooling water supply flow path, the cooling water discharge flow path, and the gas supply flow path is configured in a plurality, divided into two or more intervals according to a length of the torch main body portion, and the gas branch flow path, the cooling water supply branch flow path, or the cooling water discharge branch flow path is selectively connected by interval.

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