Numerical study of laser-sustained hydrogen plasmas in a forced convective flow

Abstract

A two-dimensional numerical model for laser-sustained argon plasmas, which considers laminar Navier Stokes equations and real ray tracing for the laser beam, has been extended for forced convective hydrogen plasmas. Realistic thermodynamic, transport, and optical properties of hydrogen were incorporated into the calculations. Parametric studies of inlet gas velocity, static pressure, laser power, and laser beam diameter have been conducted. Calculated plasma size, temperature distribution, flowfield, and energy conversion efficiency are presented in this paper. It was found that the constant axial mass flux (product of axial velocity and density) assumption which has been used in one-dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional models is not adequate for this problem. The results also revealed that plasma size, position, and radiation heat loss can be controlled by varying optical arrangements and operating conditions. © 1987 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.