Modeling of Inductively Coupled Plasma Flows in a Reactor: Comparison with Experimental Results

Inductive plasma torches are used in a wide range of applications such as spraying, waste destruction, powder treatment... In this kind of torch, the gas is heated to plasma state by ohmic heating due to the inductive current created by an electromagnetic field. Modeling this phenomenon has been studied by S. Xue and implemented in the commercial code FLUENT. This model is improved by introducing a turbulence model. To validate the model, experimental investigations are carried on. The gas temperature is measured using an enthalpy probe inside a tubular reactor at different positions. The measurements are compared with computational results and the accuracy is rather good.