What Is Plasma?
Plasma, the fourth state of matter, is a partially ionized gas mixture consisting of ions, free radicals, neutral byproducts, and photons. Plasma is an electrically neutral mixture of physically and chemically active gas phase species capable of surface modification. The surface modification is the result of the interaction between the gas phase active species and a solid surface. The active species within the plasma are cable of both physical work via ion assisted sputtering and chemical work through radical or byproduct chemical reaction. As a result, plasma can perform numerous surface modification processes including surface activation, contamination removal, cross linking, etch by chemical reaction, and physical bombardment. There are two key mechanisms in plasma processing: a physical mechanism performed by ions and a chemical mechanism performed by free radicals and byproducts. Physical plasma is a result of the charged ionic species gaining sufficient kinetic energy from the ap
Plasma is simply a gas (air) that the Converter ionizes so it becomes an effective electrical conductor and produces a lightning-like arc of electricity that is the source of the intense energy transferred to the waste material as radiant energy. The arc in the plasma plume within the vessel can be as high as 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit … three times hotter than the surface of the Sun. When waste materials are subjected to the intensity of the energy transfer within the vessel, the excitation of the wastes’ molecular bonds is so great that the waste materials’ molecules break apart into their elemental components (atoms). It is the absorption of this energy by the waste material that forces the waste destruction and elemental dissociation. The Plasma Converter is computer controlled, easy to use and operates at normal atmospheric pressure, very safely and quietly.
Plasma is an ionized gas. This means that neutral gas atoms are split into ions and electrons. Energy must be supplied to split neutral gases. Thies energy is supplied to the plasma with the aid of electrical fields. Direct voltage sources or alternating voltage sources can be used to iguite the plasma. The pressure range below approx. 10 mbar are designated as low pressure plasma.
Plasma is often called the “Fourth State of Matter,” the other three being solid, liquid and gas. A plasma is a distinct state of matter containing a significant number of electrically charged particles, a number sufficient to affect its electrical properties and behavior. In addition to being important in many aspects of our daily lives, plasmas are estimated to constitute more than 99 percent of the visible universe. In an ordinary gas each atom contains an equal number of positive and negative charges; the positive charges in the nucleus are surrounded by an equal number of negatively charged electrons, and each atom is electrically “neutral.” A gas becomes a plasma when the addition of heat or other energy causes a significant number of atoms to release some or all of their electrons. The remaining parts of those atoms are left with a positive charge, and the detached negative electrons are free to move about. Those atoms and the resulting electrically charged gas are said to be “i
Plasma is considered the fourth state of matter, it is a gas that is essentially ionized, superheated air. A special plasma torch heats regular air to internal temperatures (inside the torch) as high as 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit and external temperatures (point of contact with the material) as high as 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The source of energy for the torch is electricity. The superheated air is used to thermally decompose whatever it comes in contact with. Steel foundries have used plasma to melt steel for many years. Plasma is a well-established technology in many industries.
