Heat and momentum transport to particulates injected into low-pressure (~80 mbar) nonequilibrium plasmas

An analytical model for plasma flow around a spherical particle has been developed using a two-temperature chemical nonequilibrium approach that includes rarefaction and particle-charging effects. The contribution of each component of the plasma to the heat and momentum transfer to injected particulates is studied by simulating the plasma flow around a sphere for conditions typical of thermal spray processes at pressures from 80 mbar to 1 bar. A parametric study of the 80-mbar case is also presented for free-stream velocities in the 0-3000 m/s range and free-stream temperatures in the 8000-12000 K range for both ionization equilibrium and nonequilibrium. The results demonstrate that there are departures from kinetic and ionization equilibrium in the plasma around a particle, and that heat transfer to a particle can be enhanced by the increased ion flux to the particle surface when the surrounding plasma is in ionization nonequilibrium