PLASMA APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY SPHERICAL POWDERS AT HIGH CAPACITY

An apparatus and a process for the production at high capacity of high purity powders from a large diameter wire or rod using a combination of plasma torches and induction heating are disclosed. The process provides a superior productivity, by incorporating a more effective inductive preheating system. A mechanism is also included in the apparatus, which allows adjusting the position of the plasmatorches and their angle of attack with respect to the wire, which has a direct effect on the mechanical and thermal energy transfer from the plasma plume to the wire, allowing a fine control over theparticle size distribution as well as the production capacity. Furthermore, varying the induction frequency allows for the optimization of the temperature profile inside the wire, which can be directly correlated to the resulting mean particle size. 公开了使用等离子焰炬和感应加热的组合，以高产能由大直径丝材或棒材生产高纯度粉末的设备和方法。所述方法通过包括更有效的感应预加热系统而提供了优异的生产力。设备还包括这样的机制，其允许调节等离子焰炬的位置以及它们相对于丝材的冲角，其对从等离子羽流至丝材的机械和热学能量传递具有直接影响，允许对粒径分布以及生产能力的精细控制。此外，改变感应频率允许优化丝材