TY - JOUR

T1 - The effect of two-chamber electrode geometry on gas dynamics in an arc channel of plasmatorch

AU - Grishko, I. D.

AU - Vashchenko, S. P.

AU - Batomunkuev, D. Yu

AU - Kovalev, O. B.

N1 - Grishko, I.D., Vashchenko, S.P., Batomunkuev, D.Y. et al. The effect of two-chamber electrode geometry on gas dynamics in an arc channel of plasmatorch. Thermophys. Aeromech. 32, 1083–1100 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869864325050063 Research was supported by the state assignment for ITAM SB RAS (Project No. 124021500013-7).

PY - 2025/9

Y1 - 2025/9

N2 - Methods of 3D numerical simulation were applied for evaluating the flow dynamics in the internal electrode of a plasmatorch with a two-chamber design while a “cold” blowout through the electrode. This study presents spatial distributions for the gas flow velocity, turbulence kinetic energy and the pressure inside the two-chamber electrode equipped with two swirlers (they provide tangential input for plasma-forming air flow). Variations in the gas velocity for transversal cross sections of the arc chamber are in agreement with previously published data for the case of “cold” smoke-based blowout of the two-chamber plasmatorch equipped with a cylindrical electrode. It was established that the cylinder-conical shape of the internal electrode might result in a shorter initial laminar column in the electric arc; this happens due to expansion of the turbulent interval at a fixed length of the arc. Experiments in a plasmatorch with an inter-electrode insert demonstrated that the cylinder-and-cone shape of the electrode causes a higher (by 30–35 %) voltage on the plasmatorch as compared with the cylinder-only shape of the electrode. This is a qualitative confirmation for calculated results about a higher kinetic turbulence energy and a wider turbulent zone of the electric arc occurring in a two-chamber design plasmatorch.

AB - Methods of 3D numerical simulation were applied for evaluating the flow dynamics in the internal electrode of a plasmatorch with a two-chamber design while a “cold” blowout through the electrode. This study presents spatial distributions for the gas flow velocity, turbulence kinetic energy and the pressure inside the two-chamber electrode equipped with two swirlers (they provide tangential input for plasma-forming air flow). Variations in the gas velocity for transversal cross sections of the arc chamber are in agreement with previously published data for the case of “cold” smoke-based blowout of the two-chamber plasmatorch equipped with a cylindrical electrode. It was established that the cylinder-conical shape of the internal electrode might result in a shorter initial laminar column in the electric arc; this happens due to expansion of the turbulent interval at a fixed length of the arc. Experiments in a plasmatorch with an inter-electrode insert demonstrated that the cylinder-and-cone shape of the electrode causes a higher (by 30–35 %) voltage on the plasmatorch as compared with the cylinder-only shape of the electrode. This is a qualitative confirmation for calculated results about a higher kinetic turbulence energy and a wider turbulent zone of the electric arc occurring in a two-chamber design plasmatorch.

KW - CFD-simulation

KW - plasmatorch

KW - turbulence

KW - two-chamber electrode

KW - vortex flow

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041284859

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/7b97af70-dfd0-32af-892d-26bcd3a119cd/

U2 - 10.1134/S0869864325050063

DO - 10.1134/S0869864325050063

M3 - Article

VL - 32

SP - 1083

EP - 1100

JO - Thermophysics and Aeromechanics

JF - Thermophysics and Aeromechanics

SN - 0869-8643

IS - 5

ER -