Abstract
In this work, a numerical model is developed and used to investigate changes that occur to ceramic suspensions in a plasma jet. The model accounts for atomization processes, evaporation of the fluid phase, and melting of the solid phase. Attention is also given to changes in the physical properties of the suspension mixture as the liquid phase evaporates. The findings clearly show that inclusion of a valid viscosity model is essential to understanding particle trajectories and breakup patterns. The validity of the model is evaluated for tests cases involving YSZ suspensions sprayed at different velocities, injection angles, and injector configurations. Particles for each test case are captured on substrates placed 8 cm away from the nozzle and particle counts and spatial distributions are compared.
