The magnetoplasmadynamic processing tool

Summary form only given. Work on plasma accelerators at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) includes their application to advanced and environmentally conscious manufacturing, materials processing and cleaning, as well as decontamination and waste reduction. The efficient conversion of electrical energy into directed kinetic energy, added to the advantages of inexpensive and robust technology, allow a cost-effective use of plasma sources in industry. At LANL, there has been significant progress in understanding of plasma acceleration and guidance, and ongoing work is leading to development of a next-generation magnetic nozzle that enables precise energy deposition onto a target. Recent theoretical studies of pulsed mode accelerator operation have yielded scaling laws which allow enhanced plasma control. A short-pulse plasma gun has been designed considering industry-relevant performance criteria and is being assembled. This accelerator and the magnetic guiding nozzle constitute a multi-purpose Magnetoplasmadynamic Processing Tool (MPT), which is particularly well suited for industrial applications requiring a high power density deposition, up to 20 MW/cm/sup 2/ on a large target surface (/spl sim/1000 cm/sup 2/). The system design and first experimental results are presented.