Current-voltage characteristics of hydrogen DC plasma torches with different sizes in an external axial magnetic field

Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of hydrogen DC plasma torches with different sizes in an external axial magnetic field under atmospheric pressure are reported. Three anodes with different diameters are adopted in a 50-kW torch: 25 mm, 30 mm, and 35 mm, respectively. Two different diameters of anodes, that is, 100 mm and 130 mm, are adopted in a 1-MW plasma torch. The arc voltage shows a negative trend with the increase of arc current under the operating regimes. On the contrary, arc voltage shows a positive trend as the flow rate of carrier gas increases, and a similar trend is found with increasing the external magnetic flux density. A similarity formula is constructed to correlate the experimental data of the torches mentioned above. Linear fitting shows that the Pearson correlation coefficient is 0.9958.