I'm working on a system for thermally destroying hazardous waste. I've settled on the use of plasma to do this. Plasma torches come in various varieties, the main divisor being how the plasma is generated and energy imparted to it. Here I've settled on a non-transferred DC arc as the source.
One idea that is mentioned in a Wiki article, but not explained in detail, is that of operating DC torches in pairs - one acting as the anode and the other as the cathode. This seems to fit my purpose perfectly, as I really need a "flame" that extends laterally with more or less constant intensity. This should also reduce heat losses to the coolant, as each torch acts as if it were producing a transferred DC arc, though in this case it is transferred to another torch rather than to the work.
Unfortunately, there is no explanation of how the torches are configured, how the arc is started, and so on, and no references available to me to refer to. I'm looking for either a reachable reference or a general description of how these things work.
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