Equilibrium separation in a high pressure helium plasma and its application to the determination of temperatures

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:226919

Rodero, A; Garcia, M C; Gamero, A ^[1]

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1. Universidad de Cordoba (Spain)

The spectroscopy method based on the Boltzmann-plot of emission lines has been usually employed for measuring the excitation temperature (T{sub exc}) in high pressure plasmas. In the present work, it is shown that this method can produce great errors in the temperature determination when equilibrium separation exists. In this way, the suitability of this determination is tested comparing with other alternative methods in a high pressure helium plasma and also studying its separation from the equilibrium situation, via the absolute population measurements of atomic levels and the estimation of its atomic state distribution function (ASDF). We have made this study using a new excitation structure, the axial injection torch (Torche A Injection Axiale or T.I.A.), which produces a high power microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure. The measurements were carried out at the beginning of the flame (the highest line intensity zone) for a 300-900 W power range at 2.45 GHz and 71/min. of helium gas flow.

• OSTI ID: 226919
• Report Number(s): CONF-950749--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
GAS FLOW
HELIUM
NON-EQUILIBRIUM PLASMA
REFRACTIVE INDEX
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT