Numerical Modeling of Arc Behavior in a Dc Plasma Torch

Three-dimensional simulation of an argon–hydrogen DC non-transferred arc plasma torch

“…Simulation works on plasma arc inside the torch were firstly studied by using two-dimensional (2D) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] and then extended to three-dimensional (3D) models [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. For 2D models, the anode arc attachment was calculated based on axisymmetric assumption, which normally leads to the unrealistic result.…”

Comparisons Between Two Different Three-Dimensional Arc Plasma Torch Simulations

“…An arc inside the torch has been characterized experimentally (Ref 1-7) and numerically (Ref [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Unfortunately, experiments have been limited by involvement of high cost equipments and lack of understanding of the results obtained.…”

Effect of the deviation of the current density profile center on the three-dimensional non-transferred arc plasma torch

“…Both two-dimensional [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] and three-dimensional [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] models have been adopted to study the plasma spray inside the torch. In some cases for steady-state simulation, zero electrical potential was imposed to the anode spot and zero gradient electrical potential was imposed to the rest region of anode, which can lead to the current passing through the anode [8,13].…”

“…Although steady-state simulation can provide sufficient information of the plasma flow field, it is not applied to all circumstances because the real arc always moves on the anode wall and operates in different modes depending on the working conditions. Therefore, time-dependent plasma flow was numerically studied in some works [18][19][20][21][22][23][24], where Trelles et al [22][23] developed a transit model to simulate the arc reattachment by using an artificially high electrical conductivity near the anode wall. The models successfully predict the arc break down and reattachment processes inside the plasma torch.…”

“…In previous works, one can notice that the maximum current density are always located at the center of the cathode tip [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24], particularly for transient models concerning the time-dependent plasma [21][22][23]. Actually, the maximum value of the current density profile imposed on the cathode surface may not be located on the center of the cathode.…”