Unsteady 3D Large Eddy Simulation of an Ar-H₂ Plasma Jet: Analysis of Initial Results

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) is of great interest for the realization of thin nanostructured coatings. The thermokinetic phenomena involved in the SPS process, from the plasma/liquid interaction to the growth of the coating are difficult to forecast and experiment. The present work focuses on the 3D simulation of an Ar-H₂ (45-15 slm) plasma jet issuing into ambient air. A large eddy simulation model accounts for turbulence and provides us with the instantaneous temperature and velocity fields of the plasma flow. The results obtained with the CFD library AQUILON are compared to experimental ones as well as previous simulations realized with a commercial software.