Two-Temperature Model and Simulation of Induced Electric Field During Combustion Synthesis of Zinc Sulfide in Argon

Abstract

A two-temperature (2T) model is employed to analyze an electric field induced during the combustion synthesis of zinc sulfide under the two opposite gravitational conditions of the ascending and descending temperature combustion front motion. This model undertakes situations when the gas is always in a massive abundance, and therefore, the temperatures of the solid and gas phases do not have sufficient time to equilibrate thermally each other during the combustion front motion and generate conditions under which the assumption of one-temperature model of thermal quasi-equilibrium between the phases is no longer valid. The numerical study conducted in a comparison with the experimental results and 1T model shows that 2T model predicts more accurately quantitative values of electric charge density, gas pressure as well as generated voltage during the combustion at both descending and ascending directions of thermal front motions. This demonstrates the key role of non-equilibrium heat transfer for the combustion synthesis, while the temperatures of gas and solid are not equal. The predicted results of characteristic features of induced electric field are in a good agreement with the experimental data.