Large Eddy Simulation of a swirl stabilized spray flame

Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of kerosene spray combustion in an axial-swirl combustor have been carried out focusing on the effect of the evaporating droplets on the flame temperature and species concentrations. The LES-PDF methodology is used for both dispersed (liquid) and gas phases. The liquid phase is described using a Lagrangian formulation whilst an Eulerian approach is employed for the gas phase. The predictive capability of LES with sub-grid scale models for spray dispersion and evaporation is assessed placing emphasis on the effect of the unresolved velocity and temperature fields on the droplet evaporation rate. The results of the fully coupled LES formulation exhibit good agreement between the measured and simulated mean velocity fields. The global behaviour of the spray combustion, such as droplet dispersion and evaporation, are captured reasonably well in the simulations. It was found that the large velocity fluctuations observed in the shear layer strongly affect the evaporation rate and thus the temperature distributions. The present work also demonstrated the feasibility of LES to study complex flow features which are typical of gas-turbine combustion chambers.     

Characteristics of an atmospheric‐pressure radio frequency‐driven Ar/H2 plasma discharge with copper wire in tube

This paper investigates a plasma discharge driven by a 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) power supply at atmospheric pressure, in which a copper wire is inserted in the discharge tube for the deposition of Cu films. The results show that the jet plasma formation originates from the discharge between the copper wire and induction coil because of its electrostatic field. The axial distribution of the plasma parameters in the RF plasma jet, namely the gas temperature, excitation temperature, and electron number density, is determined by diatomic molecule OH fitting, Boltzmann slope, and H_β Stark broadening, respectively. The discharge current significantly declines when a small amount of hydrogen is added to the argon as the plasma‐forming gas, and the gas temperature of discharge plasma increases considerably.     

Excitation of Doubly‐Charged Ion Emission Lines from a Grimm‐Style Glow Discharge Plasma—Comparison Between Yttrium and Zirconium

Spectra of yttrium and zirconium emitted from a Grimm‐style glow discharge plasma were investigated to elucidate the excitation mechanism of doubly‐charged ionic lines when using argon–helium mixed gas as well as argon gas alone. The energy sum for exciting doubly‐charged ion species of yttrium is slightly smaller compared to the case of zirconium, which yields an interesting correlation in the excitation energy between their ionic species and excited species of helium or argon. The Y III emission lines which were assigned to the 4p⁶5p–4p⁶5s(4p⁶4d) transitions could be observed in the argon–helium mixed gas plasma, but those were hardly excited with argon gas only. The Zr III emission lines did not appear in the spectra emitted by the argon gas plasma nor by the mixed gas plasma. A possible explanation for these phenomena is that the excitation of these ionic species is caused principally by collisional energy transfer from helium species to the analyte atoms.     

溶液液滴在热等离子体射流中的运动和蒸发

为考察溶液注入热等离子体喷涂过程中喷雾参数对涂层质量的影响,本文建立了溶液液滴在热等离子体中运动蒸发的数学模型。模拟了液滴在不同参数下的运动和蒸发的过程,考虑了液滴、热等离子气流及液滴表面气体混合物随温度及组分的物性变化以及斯蒂芬流的影响,得到液滴的运动轨迹,蒸发速率以及半径和表面温度的变化。结果表明在一定范围内增大液...     

一种新型大气压毛细管介质阻挡放电冷等离子体射流技术

介绍一种结构设计简单、操作运行方便的新型毫米量级大气压冷等离子体射流发生技术.这种射流可以在大气压条件下，利用多种工作气体(如Ar,He,N₂)，通过毛细管介质阻挡放电(DBD)的方式实现.使用频率为33kHz，峰值电压为1—12kV的双向脉冲电源，利用Ar,He,N₂等工作气体，在毛细管内形成了稳定的冷等离子体射流.放电区域的光辐射空间分布利用商用CCD摄像机记录，从中研究放电形态和空间分布，观察到了在DBD区域的流动气体放电和在毛细管出口处形成的等离子体射流 关键词： 冷等离子体射流 毛细管介质阻挡放电 射流射程 射流激发温度     

Determination of the Energy Flux of a Commercial Atmospheric‐Pressure Plasma Jet for Different Process Gases and Distances Between Nozzle Outlet and Substrate Surface

The energy flux of an atmospheric‐pressure plasma jet for surface treatment has been investigated by a calorimetric probe. Generally, the investigations exhibit that the main contributions of the total energy influx from the plasma to the substrate surface originate from the neutrals regarding high gas temperature coupled with a high gas flow. The use of nitrogen as process gas shows a higher energy flux compared to oxygen and air presumably caused by increased gas temperature as well as by higher molecule formation and recombination energy of N₂. Moreover, the lateral expansion of the plasma beam could be roughly determined by a spatially resolved analysis of the energy influx. A top part mounted on the nozzle, commonly used for the injection of additional precursor gases, showed a significant effect on the flow behavior and collision entailed relaxation of the excited plasma species leading to a restraining of the plasma jet. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

大气压射流等离子体放电特性及其灭菌效果

 介绍了一种同轴电极的射流等离子体发生装置,可以直接在大气中将生成的氦气辉光放电射流等离子体喷出进行杀菌消毒,无需反应容器和真空系统,并从电压、频率、流速等方面讨论了该同轴等离子体发生器的放电特性。在稳定的放电条件下,利用实验装置进行了大气压下的等离子体灭菌实验,验证了本装置在等离子体灭菌应用上的可行性和易操作性。灭菌结果表明：在最初的2 min内,细菌减小趋势明显,3 min后细菌几乎全部消亡。     

Transient convective burning of interactive fuel droplets in single-layer arrays

The transient convective burning of n-octane droplets interacting within single-layer arrays in a hot gas flow perpendicular to the layer is studied numerically, with considerations of droplet surface regression, deceleration due to the drag of the droplets, internal liquid motion, variable properties, non-uniform liquid temperature and surface tension. Infinite periodic arrays, semi-infinite periodic arrays with one row of droplets (linear array) or two rows of droplets, and finite arrays with nine droplets with centers in a plane are investigated. All arrays are aligned orthogonal to the free stream direction. This paper compares the behavior of semi-infinite periodic arrays and finite arrays with the behavior of previously studied infinite periodic arrays. Furthermore, it identifies the critical values of the initial Damköhler number for bifurcations in flame behavior at various initial droplet spacing for all these arrays. The initial flame shape is either an envelope flame or a wake flame as determined by the initial Damköhler number, the array configuration and the initial droplet spacing. The critical initial Damköhler number separating initial wake flames from initial envelope flames decreases with increasing interaction amongst droplets at intermediate droplet spacing (when the number of rows in the array increases or the initial droplet spacing decreases for a specific number of rows in the array). In the transient process, an initial wake flame has a tendency to develop from a wake flame to an envelope flame, with the moment of wake-to-envelope transition advanced for the increasing interaction amongst droplets at intermediate droplet spacing. For the array with nine droplets with centers in a plane, the droplets at different types of positions have different critical initial Damköhler number and different wake-to-envelope transition time for initial wake flame.     

Optical characterization of atmospheric‐pressure plasma needle

The atmospheric‐pressure plasma needle is a promising source that can be used efficiently for different industrial applications. A radio frequency (RF) (13.56 MHz) generator was used to generate a He–O₂/Ar mixture plasma. The ground‐state oxygen atomic density [O] was calculated as a function of discharge parameters by “actinometry”. The Ar‐I (2p₁ → 1s₂) line at 750 nm and the O‐I (³P → ³S) line at 844 nm were used to estimate the [O] atomic density. The rotational temperature T _R of He–O₂/Ar mixture was measured from the rotational levels of the “first negative system” (FNS) by using the “Boltzmann plot”. The effect of discharge parameters on the atomic oxygen density [O] and the gas temperature was monitored. These results show that [O] density increases with RF power and O₂ concentration, but decreases with the gas flow rate. Whereas the gas temperature increases with increase in the input RF power, it decreases with increase in the gas flow rate and O₂ concentration in the mixture. Since the [O] atomic density contributes to plasma‐based biomedical applications, the proposed optimum conditions for plasma‐based decontamination of heat‐sensitive materials in the present study are 0.6% oxygen, 500 sccm flow rate, and 26 W RF power.     

Dynamic behaviour of alternating current arc discharge in a multi‐arc generator at atmospheric pressure

In this letter, a multi‐arc generator with three high‐voltage electrodes and a common grounded one was developed for the purpose of obtaining large area and steady arc plasma at atmospheric pressure. Three typical discharge states were found in the multi‐arc generator: independent movement of three arc columns, confluence of two arc columns, and confluence of three arc columns. The three discharge states cyclically occur on the evolution of the arc discharge and their duration is influenced by the power dissipation and plasma working gas flow rate. With an increase of discharge power and a decrease of the gas flow rate, the duration of multiple arc confluence increases, which contributes to the suppression of the fluctuation amplitude of each arc. Frequency domain analysis of the arc voltage envelope shows that the frequency of arc fluctuation increases in the multi‐arc mode in the multi‐arc generator compared to that in the single arc mode.     

A One‐Dimensional Particle‐in‐Cell Model of Plasma Build‐Up in Vacuum Arcs

Understanding the mechanism of plasma build‐up in vacuum arcs is essential in many fields of physics. A one‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell computer simulation model is presented, which models the plasma developing from a field emitter tip under electrical breakdown conditions, taking into account the relevant physical phenomena. As a starting point, only an external electric field and an initial enhancement factor of the tip are assumed. General requirements for plasma formation have been identified and formulated in terms of the initial local field and a critical neutral density. The dependence of plasma build‐up on tip melting current, the evaporation rate of neutrals and external circuit time constant has been investigated for copper and simulations imply that arcing involves melting currents around 0.5–1 A/μm², evaporation of neutrals to electron field emission ratios in the regime 0.01 – 0.05, plasma build‐up timescales in the order of ～ 1 – 10 ns and two different regimes depending on initial conditions, one producing an arc plasma, the other one not. Also the influence of the initial field enhancement factor and the external electric field required for ignition has been explored, and results are consistent with the experimentally measured local field value of ～ 10 GV/m for copper (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of Gap Spacing between Dielectric Barriers in Atmospheric Pressure Discharges

The breakdown activity in helium atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is strongly modified by introducing small impurities (nitrogen (N₂) and air in ppm), although its precise implications for the behavior of discharge plasma is not evident under several constraints. In this simulation study, we investigate the influence of gap spacing between the dielectric barriers to explore the dynamic modification in the structure of discharge plasma in distinct phases of the discharge current pulse using a two‐dimensional fluid model in He‐air gas mixture. Specifically, the impact of nitrogen and air impurities is contrasted by exploring the spatial distributions of electrons in the breakdown phase under similar operating conditions. The filamentary mode of DBD plasma in He‐N₂ is transformed into uniform glow discharge in He‐air gas mixture by the dominant effect of Penning ionization. Finally, the outcomes of two‐dimensional fluid model are validated by comparing with three‐dimensional fluid model to provide the reliability of numerical simulations. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A Predictive Model for the Initial Droplet Size and Velocity Distributions in Sprays and Comparison with Experiments

The distribution of sizes and velocities of droplets initially formed in sprays is an important piece of information needed in the spray modelling, because it defines the initial condition of the spray droplets in the predictive calculations of the downstream two‐phase flow fields. A predictive model for the initial droplet size and velocity distributions in sprays is formulated in this study. The present model incorporates both the deterministic and the stochastic aspect of spray formation process. The deterministic aspect takes into account of the unstable wave motion before the liquid bulk breakup through the linear and nonlinear instability analysis, which provides information for the liquid bulk breakup length, the mass‐mean diameter and a prior distribution for the droplet sizes corresponding to the unstable wave growth of various wavelengths. The stochastic aspect deals with the final stage of droplet formation after the liquid bulk breakup by statistical means through the maximum entropy principle based on Bayesian entropy. The two sub‐models are coupled together by the various source terms signifying the liquid‐gas interaction, the mass mean diameter and the prior distribution based on the instability analysis. The initial droplet size and velocity distributions are measured experimentally by phase‐Doppler interferometry for sprays generated by a planar research nozzle and a practical gas turbine airblast nozzle. For the two nozzles, the liquid bulk sheet is formed before its breakup in a coflowing air stream. It is found that the model predictions are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data for all the cases measured. Hence the present model may be applied to a variety of practical sprays to specify the initial conditions for the spray droplets formed in practical spray systems.     

Recent advances in the development of discharge‐pumped oxygen‐iodine lasers

Chemical oxygen‐iodine lasers are unique in their ability to generate high‐power beams with near diffraction limited beam quality. The operating wavelength, 1.315 µm is readily transmitted by the atmosphere and compatible with fiber optics beam delivery systems. However, applications of the laser are severely limited by logistical problems associated with the complex chemistry used to power the device. Electrical or microwave discharge excitation of oxygen‐iodine lasers offers an attractive alternative that eliminates the chemical power generation problems and has the possibility of closed‐cycle operation. A discharge oxygen‐iodine laser was first demonstrated in 2005. Since that time the power of the device has been improved by a factor of 400 and much has been learned concerning the physics and chemistry of the discharge driven system. Although our current understanding of the chemical kinetics is incomplete, parametric studies of laser performance show considerable promise for further scaling. This article reviews the basic principles of the discharge oxygen iodine laser, summarizes the most recent advances, and outlines some of the unresolved questions regarding the production and removal of excited species in the gas flow.     

Production of long,laminar plasma jets at atmospheric pressure with multiple cathodes

Plasma jets from conventional non‐transferred arc plasma devices are usually operated in turbulent flows at atmospheric pressure. In this paper, a novel non‐transferred arc plasma device with multiple cathodes is introduced to produce long, laminar plasma jets at atmospheric pressure. A pure helium atmosphere is used to produce a laminar plasma jet with a maximum length of >60 cm. The influence of gas components, arc currents, anode nozzle diameter, and gas flow rate on the jet characteristics is experimentally studied. The results reveal that the length of the plasma jet increases with increasing helium content and arc current but decreases with increasing nozzle diameter. As the gas flow rate increases, the length of the plasma jet initially increases and then decreases. Accordingly, the plasma jet is transformed from a laminar state to a transitional state and finally to a turbulent state. Furthermore, the anode arc root behaviours corresponding to different plasma jet flows are studied. In conclusion, the multiple stationary arc roots that exist on the anode just inside the nozzle entrance are favourable for the generation of a laminar plasma jet in this device.     

PECVD of Carbon Nanostructures in Hydrocarbon‐Based RF Plasmas

Different aspects of the plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition of various carbon nanostructures in the ionized gas phase of high‐density, low‐temperature reactive plasmas of Ar+H₂+CH₄ gas mixtures are studied. The growth techniques, surface morphologies, densities and fluxes of major reactive species in the discharge, and effects of the transport of the plasma‐grown nanoparticles through the near‐substrate plasma sheath are examined. Possible growth precursors of the carbon nanostructures are also discussed. In particular, the experimental and numerical results indicate that it is likely that the aligned carbon nanotip structures are predominantly grown by the molecular and radical units, whereas the plasma‐grown nanoparticles are crucial components of polymorphous carbon films. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ion Heating in Dusty Plasma of Noble Gas Mixtures

Ion heating in dusty plasma of noble gas mixtures is studied by the observation of dust particles in stratified glow discharge. The particles and their formations can be used as a “contact‐free” probe of the ion flows. It is shown that under condition of experiments transition of dust particles into crystalline state in pure gases occur at much lower pressures in comparison to the case of gas mixtures. This observation is also supported by the evaluation of “effective” kinetic temperature of dust particles as defined from the velocity distribution function at the same set of discharge parameters. Absolute value of temperature of dust component in the mixture of helium and argon indicates important role of argon ionization process (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Determination of temperature and concentration of a vapor–gas mixture in a wake of water droplets moving through combustion products

Characteristic temperatures and concentrations of a vapor–gas mixture in a wake of water droplets moving through combustion products (initial temperature 1170 K) were determined using the Ansys Fluent mathematical modeling package. We investigated two variants of motion: motion of two droplets (with sizes from 1 mm to 3 mm), consecutive and parallel, and motion of five staggered droplets. The influence of the relative position of droplets and also of distances between them (varied from 0.01 mm to 5 mm) on temperatures and concentrations of water vapor was established. The distances determine the relation between the evaporation areas and the total volume occupied by a droplet aggregate in the gas medium. The results of modeling for conditions that take into account vaporization on the droplet surface at average constant values of evaporation rate and also with consideration of the change in the latter, depending on the droplet temperature field, are compared. We determined conditions under which the modeling results are comparable for the assumption of a constant vaporization rate and with regard to the dependence of the latter on temperature. The earlier hypothesis on formation of a buffer vapor layer (“thermal protection”) around a droplet, which decreases the thermal flow from the external gas medium, was validated.