3D modeling of plasma–particle interactions in a plasma jet under dense loading conditions

Abstract

A turbulent argon plasma jet discharged into an air atmosphere is modeled for given torch input parameters. Plasma–particle interactions are also modeled by coupling Lagrangian equations describing velocity, temperature and position of the particles with an Eulerian system of equations describing the plasma flow and temperature. Results of present model are compared with both experimental and previous model results. The effects of radial injection of carrier gas and particle loading both on the plasma and particle velocities and on the temperatures are clarified. Particle loading with carrier gas locally and strongly influences the flow fields of the plasma jet. A higher mass flow rate of the carrier gas decreases the axial velocity of the plasma jet locally. In swirl jet, the weak effects of carrier gas and particle loading are distributed in larger volume. It is found that both particle velocity and temperature distributions are wider at higher particle loading than at lower particle loading in non-swirl plasma jet.