Means of increasing arc power and efficiency of heat transfer

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION AN ELECTRIC MELTING FURNACE COMPRISING A STEEL BOWL WITH A REFRACTORY LINING FORMING A HEATING CHAMBER HAVING A HEARTH AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF AND A ROOF APERTURED TO FORM AN ELECTRODE OPENING, AN ELECTRODE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING, AUTOMATIC MOTOR-DRIVEN ELECTRODE-ADVANCING MECHANISM CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODE TO KEEP ONE END OF SAID ELECTRODE POSITIONED NEAR THE CHARGE OF MATERIALS TO BE MELTED IN SAID HEATING CHAMBER, CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A TRANSFORMER HAVING A PRIMARY CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRICAL SOURCE AND A SECONDARY CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODE AND TO SAID FURANCE BOWL, SUPPLY MEANS CONTAINING A SUPPLY OF MONATOMIC GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN, HELIUM, NITROGEN AND ARGON, SAID ELECTRODE COMPRISING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL COLUMN OF GRAPHITE HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE, CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE TOP OF SAID ELECTRODE OUTSIDE OF SAID FURNACE AND LEADING TO SAID SUPPLY MEANS, AND ADJUSTABLE VOLUME CONTROL MEANS IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS TO FEED A METERED SUPPLY OF MONATOMIC GAS THROUGH SAID LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE INTO AN ARC ZONE AT SAID END OF SAID ELECTRODE, WHEREUPON THE COLLISION OF ELECTRONS AND GAS MOLECULES PRODUCES A PLASMA FUNCTION CHARACTERIZED BY A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN ARC ZONE TEMPERATURE, SAID ELECTRODE COMPRISING A COATING OF HIGHER MELTING POINT THAN SAID ELECTRODE COLUMN FORMING AN OUTER SHELL ON THE EXTERNAL PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID ELECTRODE COLUMN, THE ELECTRICAL ARC DRAWN AT SAID ONE END OF SAID ELECTRODE PRODUCING A CONICALLY SHAPED RECESSED AREA IN SAID ONE END OF SAID ELECTRODE, SAID OUTER SHELL FORMING AN ADDED RECESSED AREA AT THE SAID ONE END OF SAID ELECTRODE INCREASING THE PHYSICAL SIZE OF SAID ARC ZONE IN WHICH THE PLASMA FUNCTION OCCURS.