Investigation of parameters and uninterrupted service of a generator of gas-discharge plasma based on a nonsustained hot-cathode arc discharge in gas

The design of an electrode system and the characteristics of a gas-discharge plasma source (generator) based on an arc discharge in gas sustained by thermionic emission are presented. The results of an experimental investigation of the service life of a thermionic (hot) cathode of the plasma generator are reported as a function of the discharge current and voltage and the cathode filament power. It is shown that an increase in the burning voltage from 28 to 60 V considerably reduces the service life of the hot cathode, while the discharge current and the cathode filament power exert a less critical effect on its lifetime. The conditions necessary for achieving long-term service life parameters and high efficiency of plasma generation are found out