Calculation of the impedance of an induction plasma with a thick-walled cold crucible

A package was developed to predict the current distribution in a radiofrequency (RF) induction plasma installation with a thick walled cold crucible. As the geometry of the system is three dimensional, a combined axisymmetric and 2D model is used to calculate the electromagnetic vector potential in the inductor, at the walls of the cold crucible and inside the plasma. The model permits the determination of the electric parameters such as impedance, total power and eddy losses in the inductor and the cold crucible under different operating conditions. The electromagnetic and thermal equations, inside the plasma, are solved numerically by the control volume method (CVM). The results obtained by this model are compared with experimental measurements. Results are given for an argon plasma under atmospheric pressure.