Inductively heated plasma sources for technical applications

The development of a family of modular inductively driven plasma generators enabling the electrodeless generation of high-enthalpy plasmas is described. These devices enable the operation with various gases at plasma powers of more than 50 kW. The design of the inductively coupled plasma source covers a set of advantages in comparison with existing designs. Among these are the minimized field losses as the coil is as close to the plasma as possible. Additionally, the generators can be operated in a wide scope of parameters which is not possible with many of the already existing designs as those require certain flow-controlled stabilization effects in order to prevent the plasma containment from being overheated. New technical applications for these plasma generators could be identified, such as the production of electrode layers for fuel cells or the treatment of industrial and organic wastes.