Finite element modeling of flow instabilities in arc plasma torches

The further development of thermal plasma technologies has been limited by the incomplete understanding of instabilities occurring when a confined electric arc interacts with a flow of processing gas. Particularly, plasma spraying, one of the most versatile and widely used spray technologies, suffers from occasional lack of reproducibility due to the partial comprehension of the arc dynamics inside the torch. This research is motivated by the need to obtain fundamental knowledge of the dynamics of the arc inside a plasma torch due to its interaction with a flow of processing gas, and to improve thermal plasma processes in which the flow instabilities preclude their control and uniformity. This thesis presents the development and implementation of two models capable of describing the dynamic arc behavior inside plasma torches; one based on the Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) assumption and another based on a more complete description of the plasma that allows partial kinetic equilibration between electrons and heavy particles (Non-LTE or NLTE). The fluid and electromagnetic equations describing both models are approximated numerically in a fully-coupled approach by a Variational Multi-scale Finite Element Method (VMS-FEM), which implicitly accounts for the multi-scale nature of the plasma flow and is promising for the modeling of complex multi-physics and multi-scale phenomena. The solution of the discrete system arising from the VMS-FEM formulation is obtained by a fully-implicit predictor multi-corrector time integrator together with a globalized Newton-Krylov method. The models are applied to the three-dimensional and time-dependent simulation of flow instabilities inside a commercial arc plasma torch typically used in plasma spraying processes, operating with argon and argon-helium. A reattachment model is developed to mimic the physical process by which the arc forms a new attachment under certain operating conditions. A detailed comparison between the results from the NLTE and LTE models is presented, and the role of instabilities on the arc dynamics is elucidated. In contrast to the LTE model, the NLTE model did not need a separate reattachment model to produce the arc reattachment process. The non-equilibrium results show large non-equilibrium zones in the plasma - cold-flow interaction region and close to the anode surface. Marked differences in the arc dynamics, especially in the arc reattachment process, and in the magnitudes of the total voltage drop and outlet temperatures and velocities between the models are observed. The non-equilibrium results show improved agreement with experimental observations.