Patent Application
20110303645
An aspect of the present invention relates to one or more plasma spray systems capable of operating plasma spray guns ranging from high voltage low current types to low voltage high current types. Another aspect relates to one or more power delivery units for use in such plasma spray systems. Yet another aspect relates to one or more methods of using the plasma spray systems.
Plasma spraying is a form of a thermal spraying technique for use in a coating process to coat a target surface with a coating material. Different coating materials, usually provided in a powder form, are used to provide desired surface characteristics. Materials can be chosen to provide protection against high temperatures such as ceramic coatings on gas turbines for power generation and aircraft. Metallic materials can be coated on steam turbines for protection against mechanical wear. In some instances, materials that are same or similar to the target part can be coated to the target part surface and coated part can be remachined for repairs. In other instances, materials can be chosen for their electrical properties—e.g., for their electrically conductive or insulative properties depending on the application.
Different plasma spray guns have varying power supply requirements, but can be generally divided into two types—low voltage high current (LVHC) and high voltage low current (HVLC). LVHC guns typically have small physical separation between the cathode and the anode. Voltage necessary to form an electrical arc between the cathode and the anode is directly proportional to the physical separation between the cathode and the anode. Thus, a relatively small voltage (about 100 VDC) is sufficient to form the electrical arc in LVHC guns. However, since the thermal energy of the plasma is dependent on the power, relatively high amount of current (upwards of 1000 A) is needed to provide sufficient energy. The power supply that powers LVHC guns thus operates in the LVHC mode, i.e., ≦1000 A and ≦100 VDC. Examples of the LVHC spray guns include Sulzer Metco® (registered trademark of Sulzer Metco Management AG, Zürcherstrasse 12 Winterthur CH8400, Switzerland) 7 MB/9 MB and O3C guns and Praxair® (registered trademark of Praxair Technology, Inc., 55 Old Ridgebury Road, Danbury, Conn. 06815) SG-100 guns.
Conversely, HVLC guns operate with larger separation between the cathode and the anode. As a result, a relatively high voltage (≦400 VDC) is required to form the electric arc. However, less current (upto 600 A) is required to generate the necessary thermal energy since power is the product of voltage and current. The HVLC guns require power supplies to operate in the HVLC mode, i.e., ˜600 A and ≦400 VDC. The HVLC guns such as the Praxair® Plazjet gun operates in the 200 kW range and Progressive Surface® 100HE® (registered service mark and trademark of Progressive Technologies, Inc., 4695 Danvers Drive SE, Kentwood, Mich. 49512) gun operates in the 100 kW range.
Unfortunately, conventional HVLC and LVHC systems are generally not compatible with each other. An LVHC plasma spray gun cannot be operated using an HVLC power supply designed for an HVLC gun. Conversely, an HVLC gun cannot be operated using an LVHC power supply designed for an LVHC gun. As a result, a shop having both types of guns must purchase and maintain two types of plasma spray systems to operate the different plasma spray gun types. This leads to high equipment cost, and also leads to lack of standardization in the shops. This is a particular problem for shops that operate globally.
A non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to a power delivery unit for a plasma spray system. The power delivery unit may include a plurality of power supplies whose outputs are connected in parallel. Each power supply may be arranged to output DC power to a plasma spray gun connected to the power delivery unit and to operate in a constant current mode. Each power supply may be arranged to automatically output a first DC voltage when an arc length of the plasma spray gun is a first arc length and automatically output a second DC voltage different from the first DC voltage when the arc length of the gun is a second arc length different from the first arc length. The first and second DC voltages are sufficient to sustain the first and second arc lengths respectively.
Another non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to a plasma spray system, which may comprise a plasma spray gun, a powder feed unit, a process gas unit, a power delivery unit, and a control unit. The plasma spray gun may be arranged to spray a coating material to a target surface, the powder feed may be arranged feed the coating material to the plasma spray gun, the process gas unit may be arranged to deliver process gas to the plasma spray gun, the power delivery unit may be arranged to provide DC power to the plasma spray gun, and the control unit may be arranged to control an amount of current delivered by the power delivery unit to the plasma spray gun. The power delivery unit may include a plurality of power supplies whose outputs are connected in parallel. Each power supply may be arranged to output DC power to a plasma spray gun connected to the power delivery unit and to operate in a constant current mode. Each power supply may be arranged to automatically output a first DC voltage when an arc length of the plasma spray gun is a first arc length and automatically output a second DC voltage different from the first DC voltage when the arc length of the gun is a second arc length different from the first arc length. The first and second DC voltages are sufficient to sustain the first and second arc lengths respectively.
Yet another non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to a method of using a plasma spray system for coating a target surface. In the method, a powder feed unit may be used to feed a coating material to a plasma spray gun, and a process gas unit may be used to deliver process gas to the plasma spray gun. Also in the method, a plurality of power supplies operating in a constant current mode and whose outputs are connected in parallel, may be used to provide DC power to the plasma spray gun. When providing the DC power, the plurality of power supplies may automatically output a first DC voltage when an arc length of the plasma spray gun is a first arc length and automatically output a second DC voltage different from the first DC voltage when the arc length of the gun is a second arc length different from the first arc length. The first and second DC voltages are sufficient to sustain the first and second arc lengths respectively.
The invention will now be described in greater detail in connection with the drawings identified below.
In operation, process gas or gases (e.g., nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and helium) provided through the process gas unit 140 are passed between the cathode and the anode electrodes of the spray gun 110 where an electrical arc is formed. When the process gas passes through the electrodes of the plasma spray gun 110, the arc strips electrons from the process gas molecules to form a plasma, which is very unstable. A large amount of thermal energy is released as the plasma ions recombine back to stable gases. The thermal energy release is so great that the temperature can reach over 10,000 K. The powder feed unit 120 feeds the powder coating material into the plasma, which melts the coating material due to the tremendous heat. The melted coating material is then sprayed on to the target surface to form the coating. The electrical arc is maintained, i.e., the arc length is sustained, by the power supply 130. Typically, direct current (DC) power is provided to the cathode and the anode of the spray gun 110.
It is mentioned above that commercial LVHC and HVLC plasma spray systems are generally incompatible with each other. This is primarily due to a combination of wide ranging voltage requirements and wide ranging current requirements of the different spray gun types. It is generally true that an LVHC gun, while requiring less voltage (e.g., 100 VDC vs. 300 VDC), requires a much greater amount of current (e.g., 1000 A vs. 600 A) than an HVLC gun.
Conventionally, the power supplies in commercial plasma spray system are specifically tailored to the types of spray guns. For example, a 100 kilowatt (kW) LVHC power supply capable of delivering 1000 A of current at 100 VDC will be sufficient to operate the typical LVHC gun (e.g., Sulzer Metco® 7 MB/9 MB and O3C guns). However, this LVHC power supply cannot be used to power the HVLC gun (such as the Progressive Surface® 100HE® gun) simply because it lacks the requisite high voltage capability to sustain the necessary long arc length typical in the HVLC gun.
On the other hand, a 180 kW power supply capable of delivering 600 A of current at 300 VDC will enable operation of the typical HVLC gun such as the Praxair® Plazjet gun. While the HVLC power supply may meet the total power requirements of the typical LVHC gun, the power supply still cannot be used to power the LVHC gun because it lacks the required current capability.
It may appear that a straight forward solution is to produce a power supply with sufficient voltage and sufficient current capabilities. While straight forward in theory, this is a challenging task in reality. For generally available plasma spray guns in the market, the overall power requirements vary greatly, i.e., between 50 kW and 200 kW, which is a substantial range. Producing a power supply with such broad range of power delivery capability is non-trivial. As far as the present inventors are aware, such power supply has not yet been built for commercial application and sale.
Complicating the matter are the differing voltage and current requirements of the guns. As mentioned, the LVHC guns do not require high voltage, but do require large amount of current. Conversely, the HVLC guns do not require large current amount, but do require high voltage. A power supply then must be vastly oversized to be able to supply the high voltage and the large current to handle both types of guns. In addition to the technical difficulties, this is a very expensive proposition. Even the conventional plasma spray systems in which the power supply is sized for the specific types of spray guns can cost $500K or more.
These and other obstacles may have prevented the development of a power delivery system that can be used with many different plasma spray guns. The inventors of the present subject matter have overcome the above-noted challenges and developed a plasma spray system that is believed to be universally applicable to most, if not all, types of plasma spray guns available in the market.
The powder feed unit 220 may be arranged to feed the coating material to the plasma spray gun 210, and the process gas unit 240 may be arranged to deliver the process gas to the plasma spray gun 210. Process gases may include nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and helium or any combination thereof. In general, inert gases may be used with mixtures. The power delivery unit 230 may electrically connect to the plasma spray gun 210 to provide DC power to the gun 210, and the control unit 250 may be arranged to control an amount of current delivered by the power delivery unit 230 to the plasma spray gun 210.
As shown in
Regarding the VDC output range of the power supplies 234, it should be appreciated that the maximum output voltage capability depends on the components of the power supply such as transformers and rectifiers. The maximum voltage output can also depend on the input AC voltage. Thus in a non-limiting embodiment, at least one power supply 234 of the power delivery unit 230 may output a maximum VDC that is a predetermined factor of the input AC voltage. The input AC voltage may be expressed as root-mean-squared values or as peak values.
In one implementation, the output voltage range (combination of input AC and power supply components) can be 600 VDC or even higher. With typically available input AC voltages, the output range of each power supply 234 can be about 450 VDC in another implementation. It should be appreciated these voltage ranges are merely examples. The actual maximum output VDC capability of the power supplies is not limited to any specific numerical values.
Referring back to
The power supplies 234 may be arranged to output DC power at multiple DC voltages between a predetermined minimum and maximum including at least first and second DC voltages. For example, the first DC voltage may correspond to the voltage requirement of the LVHC guns (e.g., about 100 VDC) and the second DC voltage may correspond to the voltage requirement of the HVLC guns (e.g., about 350-450 VDC), the first and second DC voltages being voltages necessary to sustain the arc lengths of the LVHC and HVLC guns, respectively.
The power supplies 234 may automatically output DC power at the appropriate DC voltage, the appropriate voltage being a voltage sufficient to form and maintain the electrical arc between the cathode and the anode of the plasma spray gun 210. Preferably, the power supplies 234 may operate in the constant current mode. In this mode, for a specific set current and depending on the load (e.g., the arc length between the cathode and anode), the power supplies 234 automatically supply the appropriate voltage to sustain the arc lengths of the guns. In the case of LVHC guns, the power supplies 234 may automatically supply the first DC voltage. In the case of HVLC guns, the power supplies 234 may automatically supply the second DC voltage.
Also preferably, the power supplies 234 may be arranged to automatically output DC voltages at a plurality of discrete DC voltage levels between predetermined minimum and maximum DC voltages including the first and second DC voltages based on the load which, as noted, generally correspond to the arc lengths of the plasma spray guns 210. More preferably, the power supplies 234 may be arranged to automatically output a DC voltage in a continuous range between the predetermined minimum and maximum voltages depending on the arc length of the plasma spray gun 210 connected to the power delivery unit 230. As noted, the predetermined minimum can be 0 VDC and the predetermined maximum can be 600 VDC or even higher. For most or all commercially available plasma spray guns, maximum output of 450 VDC is likely to be sufficient.
Regardless of whether the output voltages are discrete or continuous, the DC voltage automatically output by the power supplies 234 is sufficient to sustain the arc length. That is, each power supply 234 may be arranged to automatically output the appropriate voltage to sustain a variety of arc lengths.
As noted, the plurality of power supplies 234 automatically output the appropriate DC voltage based on the arc length of the plasma spray gun 210 in one or more aspects. However, the amount of current output by the plurality of power supplies 234 is controllable through the control unit 250 which may be external to the power delivery unit 230.
In an aspect, the power supplies 234 can function as a current source that deliver a particular amount of current specified in a control signal received from the control unit 250. That is, the control signal specifies the amount of direct current to be delivered independent of the DC voltage being output by the plurality of power supplies 234. For example, if the control signal indicates that 300 A of current is to be output, the power supplies 234 together output 300 A regardless of whether the voltage automatically output by the power supplies 234 is the first or the second DC voltage. Of course, the total power output should not exceed the maximum power limit of the power supplies 234.
The power supplies 234 may all receive a common control signal from the control unit 250, each power supply 234 may receive an individualized control signal, or the power supplies 234 may be grouped and each group may receive a common control signal for the group. The manner in which the control signals are provided to the power supplies 234 is not limited as long as the power supplies 234 may be controlled to deliver the requisite amount of current.
While the number of power supplies 234 that can be connected in parallel is not particularly limited, combining two or three power supplies are most likely in practice. The power supplies 234 for use in plasma spraying are physically big and expensive to produce. For example, when two power supplies—first and second supplies 234—are connected, the combined power delivery unit 230 still can be as big as 3 ft×3 ft×8 ft (in a staged configuration) and can weigh as much as 4000 lbs for power supplies 234 with maximum output capability of substantially 450 VDC. For power supplies that can output 600 VDC or even higher, the size of the combined unit is likely to be even bigger.
In
In one non-limiting implementation of step 530, the plurality of power supplies 234 are used to automatically output the first DC voltage when the arc length of the plasma spray gun 210 is the first arc length. Similarly, the power supplies 234 are used to automatically output second DC voltage when the arc length of the plasma spray gun 210 is the second arc length. As mentioned, the first and second DC voltages are sufficient to sustain the first and second arc lengths respectively. Also in step 530, the control unit 250 may be used to control the plurality of power supplies 234, which together deliver a specified amount of direct current to the plasma spray gun 210. Preferably, the first and second DC voltages are in a range of DC voltages capable of being output by the plurality of power supplies 234, the range being between the predetermined minimum and maximum DC voltages. For example, the example power delivery unit 230 comprising first and second power supplies 234 with the operating range as illustrated in
It should be noted that the power delivery unit 230 may output more than just two DC voltages. Preferably, the power delivery unit 230 outputs DC voltages in a range, continuous or discrete, between predefined minimum and maximum voltages based on the arc length.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
