Production of active species in an argon microwave plasma torch

Abstract

In this paper, results from the computational investigation of active species production in an argon microwave plasma torch are presented. We address the main paths of species creation and quenching and focus on their spatial distributions. We show that with the flowing Ar/O2 the radical production is relatively small. The operation of the argon torch can be more effective with an Ar/O2/N2 or Ar/O2/N2/H2O mixture as a feed gas. It was also shown that for high applied voltages the gas temperature inside the microwave torch can be high enough to significantly disturb the flow field. This disturbance can induce depletion and rarefaction of some species near the electrode and influence their production.