Thermal spray method and apparatus for optimizing flame jet temperature

Abstract

An internal burner combusting an oxy-fuel or air-fuel mixture, or a plasma heat source providing a supersonic flame jet which when expanded to atmospheric or lower pressure is characterized by a static temperature well above the melting point of a material in particle form being sprayed by the flame jet and the step of reducing the flame jet temperature after reaching supersonic velocity to a temperature below the melting point of the material prior to feeding of the material particles into the flame jet. The jet temperature reduction may be effected by injecting directly into the flame jet stream an amount of liquid or gas fluid which will reduce the flame jet temperature by the required amount. Alternatively, the supersonic flame jet may be passed through a concentric heat exchanger bearing a coolant medium such as water to absorb the necessary amount of heat from the flame jet to reduce the flame jet temperature to below the melting point of the material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.