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Title: Advances and challenges in computational fluid dynamics of atmospheric pressure plasmas

Journal Article · · Plasma Sources Science and Technology
ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States); University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Atmospheric pressure plasmas (APPs) are at the core of diverse technological applications in materials processing, chemical synthesis, resource recovery, water treatment, and medicine, among others. APPs span a wide range of power density, from low-power non-thermal to high-power thermal discharges, and typically involve interactions with a stream of working gas, processing material, or gas environment. The article provides an overview of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approaches, from mathematical models to software strategies, for the analysis of APP flows. Its focus is flows with large variations in ionization degree and significant fluid dynamic-thermal-electromagnetic coupling, as particularly found in mid- to high-power discharges. The advances achieved and challenges faced by CFD of APP flows have been driven by established and emerging applications, and can be broadly characterized in terms of model fidelity and numerical accuracy. Fidelity refers to the degree of underlying phenomena captured by the model, whereas accuracy to the precision of the numerical solution of the model. Two distinct numerical accuracy challenges are addressed: the capture of instability and pattern formation phenomena, and of plasma-gas interaction and turbulence; as well as two representative fidelity challenges: radiative transport under nonequilibrium conditions, and nonequilibrium electron and particle kinetics. The purpose of this article is to offer guidance to researchers, from modelers and code developers to open-source and commercial software users, working on CFD analyses of APP flows within technological contexts.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) (SC-24)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0018230
OSTI ID:
1623379
Journal Information:
Plasma Sources Science and Technology, Journal Name: Plasma Sources Science and Technology Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 27; ISSN 1361-6595
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (2)

Effect of Electromagnetic Boundary Conditions on Reliability of Plasma Torch Models journal May 2020
Investigation of flow regimes in arc plasma–gas interactions using a two-temperature arc in crossflow model journal February 2020

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